Chapter 66: Damn, Heartless!! Seeking Monthly Tickets
The commotion in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square had not yet reached the Eastern Palace.
At this moment, Consort Lü sat regally on a rosewood armchair, her fingertips elegantly twirling a string of smooth, jade prayer beads.
Her face held an impeccable gentle smile, like the most heartwarming breeze of spring.
Wang De stood respectfully below, bowing as he said:
“Your Ladyship, that Huang Zicheng is as slippery as a loach, spouting nonsense, saying Zhang Biao has cohorts and that we must proceed with caution!”
“In this servant’s opinion, he’s simply afraid of death! He wants to shirk the task Your Ladyship assigned and divert the blame elsewhere!”
In his view, although he hadn’t forced Huang Zicheng to die for a cause immediately, he had at least gauged the old fox’s intentions, which he considered a decent job.
Consort Lü listened quietly, her smile unwavering, even deepening slightly.
She nodded slightly, her voice like warm water steeped in honey, carrying a praise that felt as pleasant as a spring breeze: “Wang De…”
This call was intimate and natural, as if addressing a servant who had followed her for many years.
“You did very well.”
Consort Lü’s voice was soft and melodious: “And you are meticulous and observant of others’ feelings.”
“Huang Zicheng’s petty schemes are no match for my eyes. That you could see through his evasiveness and report back promptly is excellent, saving me a great deal of worry.”
Speaking, she set down her prayer beads, picked up the warm ginseng tea beside her, and took a sip, her movements exquisitely elegant and composed.
“In this palace, servants like you, loyal and understanding of their superiors’ intentions, are rare.”
Consort Lü’s gaze rested on Wang De, filled with undisguised admiration and trust:
“I have always been fair with rewards and punishments. Though your task today was not fully accomplished, I have seen your loyalty and diligence.”
Wang De’s heart was instantly filled with immense joy and flattered disbelief. The lingering unease vanished, and he felt a warmth spread through him, as if his bones had become lighter.
He hurriedly bowed, his voice trembling slightly with emotion:
“Your servant… your servant is humbled! To be able to share Your Ladyship’s burdens is a blessing from countless past lives! I dare not accept such praise from Your Ladyship!”
“You deserve it.”
Consort Lü smiled, her tone leaving no room for doubt: “I have said it before, the Eastern Palace will never forget your contributions, and you shall be rewarded.”
As her words fell, she softly called out: “Zhang Yi.”
“Your servant is here.”
Another trusted eunuch emerged from behind the bead curtain, bowing.
“Go to the Imperial Treasury and disburse three hundred taels of silver to Wang De.”
Consort Lü instructed with a smile:
“Wang De has worked hard for me over the years, running errands. This sum is a token of my appreciation, so that he may have something to rely on, whether returning to his hometown or settling his family.”
“Yes.”
Zhang Yi bowed, accepting the order with no extraneous expression on his face.
Three hundred taels of silver?!
Her Ladyship not only didn’t blame me but also gave me such a generous reward?
She even considered my future?!
Wang De could hardly believe his ears.
An overwhelming surge of joy washed over him. He trembled with excitement and, with a thud, fell to his knees:
“Your Ladyship’s heavenly grace is boundless! Your servant could never repay even a fraction of it even if he were to be torn to shreds! Your Ladyship is my reborn parent! Your servant… your servant…”
He was so overcome with emotion that he spoke incoherently, only able to repeatedly kowtow. Red marks soon appeared on his forehead.
“Enough, enough…”
Consort Lü waved her hand with a smile: “Get up quickly. If you hurt your head, I will be heartbroken. Go with Zhang Yi to receive your reward. I am tired.”
“Yes! Yes! Thank you, Your Ladyship! Thank you, Your Ladyship!”
Wang De kowtowed several more times before, at Zhang Yi’s calm gesture, he dazedly followed him, his steps unsteady, out of the inner chamber.
…
The setting sun cast long, distorted shadows from the palace walls.
Wang De followed Zhang Yi with light steps, passing through numerous palace gates and heading deeper into the increasingly remote Western Six Palaces.
“Eunuch Zhang!”
Wang De, in excellent spirits, couldn’t help but strike up a conversation, his tone filled with anticipation for the future:
“Once I receive the silver, my brother will treat tonight. We’ll find a good restaurant and have a proper drink! Over the years, I’ve owed so much to you, Eunuch Zhang…”
Zhang Yi continued walking without stopping or turning his head, merely giving a faint “Mm” in response.
His back appeared somewhat stooped in the slanting sunlight, as silent as a stone dropped into a deep pool.
Wang De paid him no mind, immersed in his joy, talking to himself.
The surroundings grew quieter and more deserted.
They turned into a narrow palace alley, flanked by towering vermilion palace walls, and ahead was a closed, dust-covered, ancient corner gate.
A strange chill, without warning, crept up Wang De’s spine.
He instinctively stopped, his smile freezing on his face.
It was too quiet here, too remote.
Why would receiving a reward lead to such a place?
“Eunuch Zhang?”
Wang De’s voice carried a barely perceptible tremor: “The disbursement from the Imperial Treasury, it seems… it doesn’t go this way.”
The moment he finished speaking!
Zhang Yi, who had been silent as stone and with his back to him, moved without warning.
A gleam of a dark blue blade, silent as a whisper, shot out lightning-fast from his indigo wide sleeve.
The euphoria, anticipation, and the nascent flicker of doubt on Wang De’s face froze in an instant.
He didn’t even have time to show surprise.
All that was seen was a flash of cold, dark blue light.
At his throat, first came an imperceptible coolness, like being brushed by cold spider silk.
Wang De’s eyes widened to their limit, his eyeballs bulging from extreme fear and disbelief.
He stared intently at the face before him.
Why?! Her Ladyship had just praised me, just rewarded me three hundred taels to return home…
Your Ladyship, you are… so cruel.
The light in his eyes, like a candle in a gale, quickly dimmed and extinguished.
His body lost all strength and collapsed forward limply.
With a “thump,” he hit the cold, dirty, dust-covered ground, stirring up a small cloud of greyish dust.
Zhang Yi stood in place, as if he had merely brushed away a fallen leaf.
He didn’t even glance at the body at his feet, which was still twitching slightly and rapidly growing cold.
Then, with extreme calm, he brought the short dagger, still dripping with Wang De’s blood, to his own equally gaunt neck.
Without hesitation, without fear, not even a ripple of the presence of a living person.
He forcefully pulled the wrist inward.
“Chh—!”
The sharp blade instantly cut through flesh and severed the windpipe.
The speed and decisiveness of the action even delayed the gush of blood for a moment.
Zhang Yi’s body trembled violently, then, like a puppet whose support had been instantly withdrawn, he fell straight backward, landing heavily beside Wang De’s still-warm corpse.
His eyes were also wide open.
He gazed blankly at the sliver of sky now completely darkened above the palace walls. The last glimmer of life in his pupils extinguished, leaving only the stillness of dead water.
Two corpses, one face down, one face up, lay at the end of the narrow palace alley.
As if telling of the heartlessness and cruelty of the inner palace.
