The twilight drum rang for six times, the distant mountains melted into the dusk, the dark clouds above the palace were heavy, and the sky light occasionally fell from the gaps in the dark clouds. The eunuchs used long poles to lift the lanterns from the iron hooks under the eaves, and the lanterns in the palace lit up one after another, swaying with a soft halo. Lanterns were hung all over the palace, forming a splendid piece, and the four places were sunk in the shadows alone. Under the bare eaves, only iron horses swayed lingeringly. This is the most desolate corner of the Forbidden City.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... My concubine misses you so much, why didn't you come to see my concubine?" The woman in red was sitting on the wall, holding a handkerchief, her eyes were dark, like an empty ancient well.
"Hey, Concubine Gao, why did you go up again? If the general manager sees this, Xiao Juezi and I will be punished again!" Sixi spun around in a hurry, tucked her skirt into her belt, and carefully stepped on the ladder Climb to Concubine Gao's side. He was a little fatter, and when he climbed the ladder, he looked like meatballs strung on a thin pole from a distance.
Concubine Gao entered the fourth Ganxi Institute at the beginning of the year. It is said that because she sprinkled red beans on the garden path where Concubine Ma used to walk, she intended to cause the concubine to wrestle and miscarry. The matter was revealed, and she was imprisoned in the Zongren Mansion and tortured for a long time. Also crazy. Originally, there were three mad ladies living in the fourth Ganxi Institute, and now another one came in. Sixi was devastated by the torment, and the top of her bald head was missing a few hairs.
Just when he was at a loss, a fourteen-year-old young eunuch in green clothes walked in and put the food box on the table.
"Come down and eat!"
After hearing this, Concubine Gao hurriedly urged Sixi to go down. She also put on her skirt and got down on the ladder, sitting at the table with low eyebrows and pleasing to the eye, waiting for the little eunuch to serve her meal.
Si Xi breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Shen Jue, it's up to you."
Shen Jue placed the bowls and chopsticks on the table, his drooping eyebrows and eyes were as peaceful as a painting, and the eyebrows and eyes were all dark-colored landscapes in the painting. He is fourteen years old now, and his stature is growing like a willow branch, but he can't eat good food all the year round.
Si Xi looked down and caught a glimpse of his long five fingers, the nails were neatly trimmed, and there was not a single barb. Sixi's heart moved, and she put her right hand on the back of Shen Jue's hand and whispered, "Little Juezi, what did you think about what I told you that day?"
Shen Jue laughed sarcastically, withdrew his hand calmly, and said, "I've only heard that eunuchs and maids should eat each other, but I haven't heard that two eunuchs can do it."
"Hey, you don't understand this." Sixi narrowed her mung bean-sized eyes, and a lewd light shone from her dark slits, "Our eunuchs are cleansed, so what's the difference between us and women? Eunuchs and palace maids eat each other. It is inevitable to use some gadgets to make things happen, eunuchs and eunuchs are naturally the same..."
Shen Jue's appearance is good, he has long had this thought. Fortunately, Shen Jue was in the cold palace, there was no one here, and only crows flew around all day long. If Shen Jue were to be a messenger in front of the nobles, I'm afraid that the fat would not have his share of four joys.
However, this Shen Jue is insufferable, no matter how he hooks up, he won't move. If it wasn't for the fact that he revealed his desire to use force last time, Shen Jue became afraid and softened a little, otherwise he would not even be able to use Shen Jue's body. Not close.
Shen Jue showed disgust and sneered: "Why, do you have to be me?"
"That's natural," Si Xi, accustomed to Shen Jue's sneering appearance, said with a smile, "My heart for you can be seen from the sun and the moon, you see, when did I get colder than you? No? You put my hot face on my cold ass? Don't worry, you followed me, another day my godfather will get me from this slaughterhouse to the imperial court, and I will take you with me, so we don't have to suffer every day Keep the cold garden."
The day before yesterday, Sixi spent a few taels of silver to climb up to the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, and became the godson of the family. Before she saw the shadow of the cold palace, she was already convinced that she could make a fortune. In the past few days, the cow has been like something, and I can't wait to raise its tail to the sky.
Shen Jue mixed the meal a few times, and said casually, "It's done."
Si Xi was overjoyed when she heard the words, and Shen Jue's mouth filled with a smile without a smile, "Tonight, I will go to your house to find you."
"Okay, I'll wait, I'll wait." Sixi couldn't help but stretched out her hands to hold Shen Jue's hand.
Shen Jue pulled away, just to avoid Si Xi's claws, waved his hand, and threw his chopsticks on the table: "I have no appetite, you can eat it yourself."
Si Xi wanted to chase, but Concubine Gao suddenly pulled Si Xi and shouted, "I starved to death! I starved to death! I am not full!"
Sixi said in exasperation, "Eat, eat, eat, you won't die!"
Shen Jue closed the door, the room was deserted, the mullioned windows forgot to close, and a lot of petals fell from the desk, which were scattered on the open pages. He closed the window, walked towards the washbasin, and dipped his right hand, which had been touched just now, in the water and wiped it again and again until the flesh was red. Thinking of Si Xi's face, she felt disgusted and uncomfortable, Shen Jue raised her hand and overturned the water basin and kicked over a stool, only to lose her anger a little.
After a busy day outside, I felt sticky and uncomfortable. Shen Jue fetched water and carried it back to the house to take a bath. The slightly hot water was poured on her body, driving away the fatigue on her body. Shen Jue washed her face.
Just as she was wiping her body, there was a thud outside the window, Shen Jue turned her head sharply, put on her clothes and pushed open the window, only to see fragments of flowerpots scattered on the ground.
Si Xi returned to his room with a fluttering heart in his arms. He just had a crooked mind. He squatted under Shen Jue's window, dipped his saliva and poked a hole. He peeked at Shen Jue's bath, but he didn't expect to see him. the big secret. This secret was enough to kill Shen Jue, his face was dyed with a crazy look, even if Shen Jue wanted to resist him, it was impossible.
After drinking a few sips of tea, Si Xi calmed down and sat at the table looking forward to dark. Suddenly, Shen Jue opened his door and stood outside with a gloomy face.
Si Xi knew very well his intentions, and still smiled slyly: "It's not yet time, I didn't expect you to be in such a hurry."
Shen Jue walked in slowly, there was an indescribable smell in the room, he covered his nose in disgust, and looked around the room. Shen Jue was wearing only one obscene garment with a thin jacket over it. She had just taken a shower, her hair was wet, and the water droplets meandered along the ends of her hair and flowed into her collar. It was wet, and her pale skin looked like Jade soaked in water is generally transparent.
Si Xi stared straight at Shen Jue's white neck as if she had lost her soul, her saliva almost dripping.
Eunuchs are very strange creatures. They clearly cut off the stubby, but the desire in their hearts has not diminished in the slightest. Instead, they are more presumptuous than before.
There are many rumors in the palace that the eunuchs tortured and killed each other. However, the palace has never been a place for fairness, and the people above it were only fined for a few slaps at most, and this trend has intensified. If the people living in the West Fourth are lunatic, I am afraid that these cowardly people can still stretch their hands. to the concubine.
Shen Jue looked at him coldly and said, "Have you seen it?"
There was a sinister light in Sixi's eyes, and he asked, "What did you see?"
"Don't play tricks with me, what do you want, tell me." Shen Jue casually flipped through the boxes on the Sixi table, freeing up strings of jewels, not knowing which palace he came from.
"You know what I want?" Si Xi leaned forward to Shen Jue with a drooling face, and stroked his hair furtively, "Isn't it just you that I want? Day and night, tossing and turning, sleepless nights." His hair was ice-cold, scratching lightly in the palm of his hand, like it was scratching on the tip of Si Xi's heart. He had already thought of a hundred ways to love Shen Jue, and couldn't wait to see Shen Jue begging for mercy.
"But what if I don't want to?" Shen Jue's eyes slowly darkened.
"You have no choice," Si Xi said in Shen Jue's ear, "I know your secret. If you want to stay in the palace like a good person, you have to listen to me. Otherwise, I will treat this If things go out loud, your little head around your neck will not be protected."
"Really?" Shen Jue smiled warmly, and calmly took out the scissors from the drawer, hugged Sixi, and pointed the scissors at Sixi's back.
"Of course, I will take good care of you." Si Xi thought that Shen Jue had given in, and couldn't help hugging Shen Jue, greedily sniffing the scent of the soap horns on his body, and suddenly, his vest suffered a severe pain, and his face ached. Kong twitched and looked at Shen Jue in disbelief. Shen Jue looked at him coldly, his eyes were not looking at a person, but at a dead body.
Sixi put his hands behind his back, and felt the wet stickiness on his hands. The blood flowed more and more, and he cried out in pain like killing a pig. Shen Jue picked up a piece of clothing from the back of the chair and stuffed it into Si Xi's mouth, Si Xi clenched Shen Jue's hand tightly, her eyes cracking. Those hands gradually lost their strength, clinging to Shen Jue's hands, and finally fell to the ground, with only a pair of copper bell-like eyes still open, as if to engrave Shen Jue's face into his mind so that he could return to his soul at midnight. Call again.
The person was completely out of breath, Shen Jue took off his jacket and wrapped it around Sixi's wound, preventing the blood from continuing to flow out. Then, he picked up the camel and threw it into the dry well outside. No one knew that the dry well of Ganxi Fourth Institute led to the barren forest outside the palace. This was Shen Jue's last errand—when cleaning the library, he found it on a dusty map of the former palace.
Shen Jue went back to the room and got dressed. He was weak and could not stand the wind. He took a bundle of ropes and lowered them down the well, climbed down on the ropes, and placed Sixi's body in the depths of the well. Si Xi was very heavy, and Shen Jue used all her strength to pull Si Xi to the right place. It was too far out of the palace, and Shen Jue had to go back to deal with the blood in the house first.
Crawling back to the well, it was already dark, and when I opened my eyes, I saw a black-clothed boy lying on the edge of the well. The boy was wearing a half-mask, holding a long knife in his hand, and his shoulders were wet, like blood.
Assassin? Shen Jue thought.
He just killed a person just now. This assassin came at an untimely time. He must not be discovered by Jin Wuwei here.
Shen Jue went back to the house and took the scissors, holding them in both hands, stabbed the young man hard. Just as the scissors approached the flesh, the young man opened his eyes suddenly, and the murderous intent flashed away in his eyes. He quickly rolled over and sat up, holding Shen Jue's wrist with his right hand. The boy's strength was so great that Shen Jue felt as if he was being pinched by iron tongs. Then, the boy pulled out the dagger from his waist with his left hand and bullied him forward. The dagger was on the side of Shen Jue's neck, pressing Shen Jue to the ground.
In the dark, the two looked at each other, and the young man was stunned for a moment, then said, "Master?"
Shen Jue was also stunned, raised his hand to remove the mask of the person in front of him, and a familiar face was revealed. He had grown a lot, the lines on his face showed a taste of fortitude, and a few drops were stained on his cheek. The blood added a bit of murderousness to his face.
Xia Houlin helped the well to get up and said, "Just pretend you didn't see me, I'm gone, we'll see you again."
After saying that, he took three steps in the direction of the palace wall, and then fell to the ground with a "bang".
Shen Jue: "..."
Xia Houlin was seriously injured, the wound on his shoulder was almost bone, and he had to deal with it immediately. Shen Jue moved Xia Houlin to Sixi's house, stripped off his bloody clothes, and threw them into a charcoal basin to burn them clean. Fortunately, there were some herbs in Shen Jue's house. He brought some herbs and picked some to stop the bleeding and applied them to Xia Houlin's wound.
Xia Houlin was in a coma, sweating all over his head, his brows furrowed tightly, and he was very uneasy. Shen Jue touched his forehead, and sure enough he had a fever. Shen Jue fetched cold water, dampened it with his own washcloth, and put it on his forehead.
There was a burst of noise outside, and someone shouted: "Search assassins, everyone come out!"
Shen Jue was startled, and opened a slit in the window lattice, only to see a line of Jinwuwei outside, all of them ferocious, with a cold light flowing from the ring-locked armor and the goose ling knife.
If they were to discover Xiahou Lin, both Xia Houlin and him would die. Seeing Xia Houlin's injury just now, he was too anxious to help him bandage it. He should have placed Xia Houlin in the well first.
There was no time to regret it, Shen Jue's mind was running fast, thinking about how to get through the barriers. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the powder on Sixi's table. Shen Jue took out a piece of rouge, smeared red dots on Xia Houlin's head and face, covered his body with the quilt, checked carefully to make sure there was no blood on his body, and went out the door.
"Where's the emperor? Why didn't the emperor come! Did the emperor send me to take me back? Great, this palace is going back, this palace is a noble concubine, a noble concubine!" Concubine Gao shouted excitedly, the two Jinwuwei Tie her to a pillar, the other three concubines were not as crazy as Concubine Gao, and all huddled under the porch in horror, exposing a pair of eyes to look at these stern men.
"The imperial concubine was assassinated at the dinner party, and the assassin fled here. I was ordered to come and investigate. My father-in-law quickly ordered everyone from the four Ganxi Institutes to come here to check." A guard said.
One after another, the little eunuchs ran over in small steps while tying their buttons, standing at the bottom of the porch with lowered eyebrows.
The guard turned around and patted everyone on the right shoulder. He didn't find anything wrong. He turned his head and asked Shen Jue, "Is everyone here?"
Jin Wuwei came to report: "Sir, there is another person lying in the room."
"That's Father Sixi, he's ill and can't get up." Shen Jue replied calmly.
"If you are ill, you should also check." The guard greeted a subordinate and said, "Go in and have a look."
Shen Jue said, "Father Sixi has red spots all over his body. The slaves and servants are probably smallpox, so it's better not to enter, my lord."
When everyone heard the words, they all stepped back in fear.
The guard's face sank like water, and said: "There is an order from above, everyone must check it. If the assassin happens to be hiding here, how can I explain it? Whoever has smallpox, go in and search with me."
Two of them stood up and said, "I killed smallpox when I was a child."
Shen Jue secretly said that it was not good, and said, "Sir, why should you take such a dangerous risk? Smallpox is not just for fun. The slaves have just come out from the inside. God son, a few adults need to be more careful when doing things."
Now that Weide is in power, the eunuchs in the palace have a very high status. Although they are Jinwuwei of high rank, they still have to give in three points when they meet the chief eunuch. For example, Shen Jue, even though he was a messenger in the cold palace, he was a little manager, and Jin Wuwei didn't dare to boss him around. Several people looked at each other in dismay, and the leader said sternly: "The duty is, father-in-law, don't blame him. Come in, follow me in."
A Jin Wuwei persuaded: "Father-in-law doesn't know anything. Assassins are elusive, especially good at hiding. Sometimes he's standing behind you and you don't know. I'm waiting for the search for your safety." He opened the door and walked in.
Shen Jue closed her eyes and followed into the door.
Xia Houlin didn't know when he had woken up. Seeing a few people coming, he struggled to sit up and said, "Slave, please greet a few adults." Several people saw the red spots on his face, and took a few steps back without a trace.
The two Jinwu guards searched the room and shook their heads at the leading guard. The guard looked at Xia Houlin on the bed, his eyes moved, and he said, "The assassin has been stabbed in the shoulder by the humble officer. I wonder if this father-in-law can put the quilt down and let the humble officer look at your shoulder."
Cold sweat broke out frequently on Shen Jue's forehead, almost blinding his eyes, but because he kept his head down, the guards didn't notice it.
How can this be good
If he opened the quilt and let him see Xia Houlin's wound, the two of them would surely die today.