"Thank you Eunuch Sun for your troubles." Wei Wei spoke sincerely, she always treated people in this way, and didn't treat people any differently because of their position.
"These are all things I should do." Eunuch Sun smiled. In the past, he didn't think much of this young lady from the Defense Division. He was a court eunuch and had observed too many affairs within old families, so he also understood why her reputation fell to its current state. Even the Murong Prince's Mansion wasn't willing to marry her.
It must be said it's because she had no power. A good-for-nothing was already a good-for-nothing, yet she still didn't know how to judge the hour, falling into other people's trap because she's too naive.
He originally didn't understand why his master would choose her.
After having experienced yesterday's incident, Eunuch Sun was actually sincerely a bit fond of Wei Wei.
Neither servile nor overbearing, not pressuring people, but also not cowering from them.
If His Highness didn't mention it, he still wouldn't have known that these two people's relationship had already m.a.t.u.r.ed to this degree.
If she was someone else, relying on his favor, she would've already become spoiled and tyrannical, yet during the entire journey, Wei Wei also didn't intend to bask in His Highness' light in the least.
Those young ladies from noble families were also young. At home, they were used to being cupped in their mother and father's hands. When they left the house, they also correspondingly demanded this, demanded that.
It's obvious that not too many people were allowed to enter Hidden Spirit Forest, each family's young lady and young master could only bring one servant. There were many matters that they couldn't bring to Retired Emperor's attention.
However, it's different when they were on their own. Those few young eunuchs under his wing quickly were ordered about so much that they barely had any strength left to talk.
If it wasn't that the food wasn't good, then it's because they rejected their living quarters for being too simple and crude, even more people, because they wanted to eat pastries, insisted that the masters in the temple make more for them.
Eunuch Sun has had enough of them. Wait until they descended the mountain, he'll find an opportunity to beat their parents for awhile.
Generally speaking, it's because he'd encountered too many issues like this that Eunuch Sun would find Wei Wei pleasing to his eyes. That's not to say that those well-bred young ladies' hearts were bad, it's just that they quite tired people out.
Wei Wei was a little different, she spoke very little, and usually didn't speak with anyone. Apparently, if she wasn't enjoying the scenery, then she was sleeping.
However, as long as she spoke, no matter who she was speaking to, she'd be very polite.
This kind of politeness wasn't the same as the kind Eunuch Sun had experienced before at all.
It's not that there hadn't been ministers who fawned on him, it's just that Eunuch Sun also knew that those people, heh, once they turned their heads around they'd call him a dog, a flunkey.
But Wei Wei gave him an entirely different feeling, how to describe it...it's as if he was the same as her, was also a person, and not some dog flunkey.
This kind of personality should be very desirable in the palace.
Eunuch Sun was inwardly convinced that His Highness had made the right decision in sending such a person into the palace…
Chapter 200 - His Highness Wounded
Wei Wei smiled, when she faced Eunuch Sun, a light was emitted from her pupils. "There's something that I don't know if I should mention."
"Miss, there's no harm in saying it." Eunuch Sun was indeed very proficient, so experienced that he made people very comfortable.
Wei Wei rotated the leaves in her hand and spoke faintly. "Each and every one of the young eunuchs under Eunuch Sun's command are actually very intelligent, and very capable of making arrangements."
Eunuch Sun didn't believe that this statement was praising them.
He'd spent a long time by His Highness' side, Eunuch Sun also could discern the tone as his heart thumped. "Which matter is the Eldest Miss referring to?"
When we were coming to Hidden Spirit Forest, that horse carriage of mine was old and was even tampered with by someone, that's how I rode in Miss Chen's carriage."
After Wei Wei finished speaking, she even added. "That broken piece of wood on the mountain was very neatly broken and wasn't accidental at all. It should've been broken by internal qi."
Once Eunuch Sun heard these words, he knew what had happened. Retired Emperor put him in charge of the journey to Hidden Spirit Temple this time. It could be said that any big or small matter had to go through him.
How could there have been a problem with the horse carriage?
Clearly, someone among them accepted a bribe, that's why these things occurred behind his back!
In a moment, he must quickly go to investigate if it was that little bastard under his command whose long hands took something he shouldn't have taken. He needed to be kicked out of the palace as soon as possible, to avoid leaving calamities behind for the future!
Thinking to this point, Eunuch Sun looked up, and hesitated before saying. "These things, why didn't Eldest Miss mention them yesterday?"
"Eunuch Sun is Third Prince's person. Throughout the journey, you also didn't step on me, I won't say what I don't need to say." Wei Wei uttered very few words.
But they shook Eunuch Sun's heart.
Someone as intelligent has him, how could he not understand, Miss Helian took his face into consideration.
Leaving him with a way out, otherwise yesterday's incident, if revealed in its entirety, even if he wasn't in the know, he must still suffer some punishment. Retired Emperor's taboo was ganging up for personal interests.
He admitted that he was a little greedy, but he'd never wanted to betray his master before, and also never thought about working under any other family.
It would seem that he should change this batch of eunuchs under his command and start from the beginning.
Sometime in the future, these incidents within the palace would only become more and more grim. If people who're not absolutely loyal were left behind, it'd also be disadvantages for His Highness.
Eunuch Sun lowered his eyes and sincerely bowed per propriety. "I thank Eldest Miss."
Wei Wei smiled, she didn't feel at all that she'd done anything to have caused someone to be moved. The manner in which she handled matters was indeed awfully ruthless, but that was in regards to people who'd provoked her. Those who didn't provoke her, she'd always left them with a way out. What's more the other party was an elder who wasn't aware of what happened. It wasn't necessary to implicate the innocent.
However, Eunuch Sun, this person was smart. He's smart in that he knew what his duties were.
Wei Wei had just spoken to him of this matter, and his first response was to tell Retired Emperor.
Retired Emperor's hand holding onto the Buddhist scriptures dropped profoundly while he coldly laughed. "It would seem that these people view me as a dotard."
Eunuch Sun lowered his eyes. "It's my mistake."
"What does this have to do with you, rise." Retired Emperor waved his sleeves and laughed. "But this girl indeed values relationsh.i.p.s and values righteousness, also handled matters appropriately. In the future, if she's by Ah Jue's side, I can also feel somewhat reassured when I leave."
Eunuch Sun opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know how he could approach this topic. He understood his master's personality, his master who'd rather kill a thousand people by mistake than to have one person slip away.
It couldn't be helped, his natural disposition was simply that cold. He was courteous as fitting the occasion, but his methods were nevertheless too ruthless.
Just like what Retired Emperor was saying, he also hoped that there's someone who, after His Highness ascend the throne, wouldn't be a party to too much evil.
"Hav
e them all come in." Retired Emperor drank the concoction in his hand, and put down the Buddhist scriptures as he commanded emotionlessly.
At this moment, Hei Ze already arrived. The white Buddhist beads in his hand hadn't been put away completely and was seen by his sharp eyes schoolmates.
"Isn't that Hidden Spirit Temple's blessed item, how did Young Master Hei obtain it?" That person's covetously looked at the beads in Hei Ze's hand and wanted to touch it.
Hei Ze levelledly glanced at him, that kind of coldness, made that person's action stiffen.
Another young master took his paper fan and lightly fanned himself as he smilingly said. "Brother Li, I think you're really looking for a fight. That item was someone's gift to Young Master Hei. When you first arrived, did you not see Young Master Hei get pulled away by someone?"
"Was pulled away by someone? Who?" That person raised his eyebrows in confusion.
The fanning young master faintly smiled. "Who else can it be, that young lady from the Helian family. This strand of beads isn't easy to obtain. It order to get one like this, it's necessary to kowtow tens of times. Still, Young Master Hei's so charming that people adored him like this..."
'Smash! clatter!' crisply sounded!
Without even speaking, that young master with a fan was so spooked that he quivered.
The little servant eunuch almost kneeled on the ground, no matter how, he couldn't have anticipated that Third Prince's first cup of tea would strike the floor!
Don't tell him he didn't hold it steady just now? It couldn't be. He even especially used two hands to offer the cup.
The little eunuch wasn't merely thinking this as he frantically wanted to use his sleeve cuffs to wipe the tea from Baili Jia Jue's hand, yet he was scared stiff into maintaining his place by that gaze that looked like condensed ice.
It's just that, while he was puzzled, the Third Prince, who'd always preferred cleanliness unexpectedly didn't immediately take out his own handkerchief. Instead, he maintained his posture facing forward, and don't know what he was thinking, but his expression even appeared a bit absent-minded.
When Eunuch Sun just arrived, what he saw was this scene. His heart hurt as he yelled. "Did you get burned somewhere? Why aren't you guys hurrying to get some ice!"
"Yes, yes!" The little eunuch finally regained his senses, and hurriedly ran.
He was a complete mess for a period of time.
Baili Jia Jue's gaze had been spiritless the whole time, only when it fell on Hei Ze's wrist did it become exceptionally abstruse and striking.
"No need." He leisurely brushed away the droplet on his fingers, leaving behind a series of obvious red prints.
Hei Ze turned towards his direction and raised his eyebrows.
Baili Jia Jue didn't even spare him a glance, when he brushed past him, his temperature was cold to the extreme, completely emotionless. Only a bone-piercing coldness was present.
Eunuch Sun anxiously followed behind his master, holding burn ointment in his hand.
He already can't remember how long it's been since His Highness received a wound. It seemed to be since that big fire in the palace, that he hadn't seen any other scars on His Highness' body.
How could be burned by a cup of hot tea today, Eunuch Sun's heart was full of remorse that he didn't personally serve Baili Jia Jue.
None of noble sons considered this matter to be of any importance, because looking at Third Prince's expression, he didn't seem unhappy in the slightest. The upward curving arc on his lips was even more pronounced than usual. Eunuch Sun was just making a fuss about nothing.
Yet Retired Emperor after all, was Retired Emperor. This was his grandson. Even though since childhood, the young one's been difficult to see through, yet he also understood his temperament.
The young one just wasn't happy…
Chapter 201 - Provoked His Highness
The Young Masters continued their previous conversation, somebody asked. "Brother Hei, how did you get to know Miss Helian. In the past, she clearly was interested in Lord Murong, how come now, even the things you like to eat, or what you care about, she knows them like the back of her hand."
Hei Ze smiled. "What does this have to do with you guys, whatever you guys need to do, go and do it, just don't touch those beads of mine, understand?"
"We know, we know all too well." Those two people smiled as they looked at each other.
At this time, Eunuch Sun already changed the teacup, and was going to offer it to his master when he discovered that the hollow of his palm was tightly clenching a remaining shard. No small number of blood beads already flowed.
Eunuch Sun subconsciously cried out in alarm, when he saw Baili Jia Jue seemed as if he was fed up as he tucked his hand inside his sleeve and wiped the stain in a composed manner. He then casually threw the white handkerchief to the side and also didn't receive that cup of tea in Eunuch Sun's hand. His apathetic expression appeared as if the person who was wounded simply wasn't him.
Eunuch Sun also didn't dare to say anything more and put the cup of tea to the side.
Hearing the young masters chatting and smiling, he felt ill all over.
It wasn't for any other reason except that he felt that from the beginning, that smile plastered on the corners of His Highness' mouth had yet to fade!
"Let's go, let's take a look at the hall in the front." On Retired Emperor's face was a wise and farsighted smile as he turned his head to say. "Presumably, you guys also want to know what kinds of wishes those girls are making."
No small numbers of young lords' faces reddened, after all, they're all maturing teenagers, it's impossible for their hearts not to hold a young girl they fancied.
On the road there, the bamboo forest swayed gently, the cool breeze blew. It didn't feel hot at all and was absolutely leisurely and comfortable.
Wei Wei didn't go with Helian Jiao Er and the rest of them to submit their prayers, yet also couldn't drag them down, so she just simply sat under the flowering Chinese scholar tree at the gate to the prayer hall. Her body half leaned. Between the forest, the soft and light flower petals floated like snow as the tree swayed. Two petals randomly fell on the back of her hand. The scene was extremely beautiful.
When the crowd of young masters arrived and saw this scene, they paused in their steps and stared somewhat dazedly.
Hei Ze saw this sort of situation and was afraid that Retired Emperor would find fault, so he gave voice to remind her. "Why are you here?"
Wei Wei then opened her eyes and lazily 'mm hm'ed once. When she saw the crowd of people gradually arriving behind Hei Ze, she calmly stood up politely, yet not intimately.
Retired Emperor hadn't seen this side yet as his head was turned to look at the cloud of burning incense on the other side.
Hei Ze looked down. "In a moment, enter along with us. If you're out here and seen by people with intentions, they might denounce you as someone who failed to understand our customs."
"Fine." Wei Wei yawned. The outside corners of her eyes still looked tired as she raised her head and looked, she accidentally saw Baili Jia Jue's ice cold gaze at a not so distant place.
Wei Wei also didn't know what he's looking at that he's staring so fixedly at her, the light in his eyes hidden so deeply it's like a frosted ancient well.
Basically, the length of time this was maintained was too long, even those young masters standing by the side became quiet, looking at Baili Jia Jue, looking again at Wei Wei as they felt there's something strange.
Wei Wei's scalp also felt numb from the man's gaze, and wanted to find a good time to look away.
When she heard Retired Emperor laugh. "Isn't this the lass from the Helian family, what? You're not going inside to pray and make requests?"
"This commoner was just about to go." Wei Wei spoked as she bowed in propriety, then was going to go.
Retired Emperor was actually open-minded. "It's fine. You don't need to go alone, just come along with us."
"Yes." It d
idn't matter to Wei Wei, in any case, when they entered in a moment, just knock twice on the bamboo cylinder*, then pray for blessing and so on until she didn't need to anymore.
After he finished speaking, Retired Emperor just turned around and brought along a group of young lords to enter the hall.
Wei Wei was going to follow behind them and hide in peace.
It's just that she didn't think that Baili Jia Jue's legs would be so slow. The two of them, one in walked front, one walked behind, Baili Jia Jue also didn't speak, that indifferent expression seemed as if it didn't recognize her.
Wei Wei's fiddled with the armament component in her hands and also didn't care about Baili Jia Jue's attitude.
Just as she reached the steps to the stage, the person in front of her seemed to be stopping. Suddenly, she heard his deep voice say. "You seem to treat Hei Ze quite well."
Wei Wei's eyebrows jumped, not understanding why Third Prince suddenly uttered such a statement. When her gaze met the man midway, she only saw that pair of eyes so cold they didn't contain any warmth whatsoever.
The surrounding atmosphere also condensed a few degrees lower, as he flung the long sleeves on his white clothes, Wei Wei watched that elevated and cold, tall and straight image of his back, and was rather perplexed...
Eunuch Sun ran over, and spoke quietly beside her ear. "Eldest Miss, please excuse me, His Highness has been in a bad mood."
Wei Wei was going to say that she could tell, she just didn't know why.
Eunuch Sun also didn't have time to say more, as he followed two or three steps upwards.
Within the temple hall, one could faintly hear the sound of the shaking of the bamboo cylinder. One sound after another, extremely drawn out.
The servants also held their breaths as they stood, not daring to move randomly, afraid that any sound could disturb the tranquility and influence the prediction of their master's fate.
When Wei Wei and the others entered, those young ladies already obtained a bamboo stick held in their hands and was standing to a side, they wanted to ask a temple master to tell their fortunes but hesitated. They looked up and saw Retired Emperor leading every family's young master into the hall, and first stared blankly, then gripped the bamboo stick in their hand, their faces burst crimson, and one after another, bowed in salute.
The Anarchic Consort c1-1376 Page 96