The Night Before Leaving the Palace, Reduced to the Tyrant's Plaything - chapter 10

Inside the Qianqing Palace, after Gugu Wanyu finished making the bed in the inner hall and came out, she was about to leave when she was stopped by Hu Jinzhong, who was all smiles.

“Gugu Wanyu, aren’t you going to wait for His Majesty to return?” Hu Jinzhong said with a grin. “His Majesty didn’t see you at noon and threw quite a tantrum. Just because the bed wasn’t made by you, he didn’t even take his nap. Tell me, if you leave, what is His Majesty supposed to do?”

He thought that after hearing this, Gugu Wanyu would let her imagination run wild and be secretly pleased at having the Emperor’s favor.

In reality, Wanyu was terrified by what she heard and wished she could leave as quickly as possible.

But Hu Jinzhong wouldn’t let up. He chased after her, continuing to coax, “If you ask me, Gugu Wanyu, you might as well not leave the palace at all. Wouldn’t it be nice to stay here and keep His Majesty company? Don’t be fooled by how quiet His Majesty usually is-he can’t be without you for even a moment.”

“Oh, come on, Eunuch Hu, can’t you say a little less?” Fuzi ran over and grabbed his arm. “It’s a good thing for Gugu Wanyu to leave the palace and reunite with her family. Why do you keep persuading her to stay? People like you, with no roots, couldn’t leave even if you wanted to!”

“Let go, you little rascal! Why are you holding on to me? If I have no roots, do you?”

Hu Jinzhong tried to shake him off a few times but couldn’t, and could only watch helplessly as Wanyu walked away, so angry that he kicked Fuzi in the backside.

Yonghe Palace was part of the Eastern Six Palaces. Wanyu thought that if Qi Rang returned from Yonghe Palace, he would either go through the Qianqing Gate in front or the Rijing Gate to the east. To avoid running into him, she followed the corridor westward, planning to leave through the Yuehua Gate on the west side.

Who would have thought that just as she exited, she would run right into the imperial entourage.

Wanyu’s heart leapt in fright. She quickly retreated to the wall and knelt down to make way for him.

Today, Qi Rang was not receiving officials. He wore a dark blue robe with dragon roundels, a pure black fox-fur cloak draped over it, and sat high on his palanquin, casting a cold gaze at the woman kneeling in the snow by the wall.

The eunuchs carrying the palanquin understood the Emperor’s intentions, but since Qi Rang said nothing, they didn’t know whether to stop or keep moving forward.

“Chief Steward Sun, what should we do?” the leading eunuch whispered.

Sun Liangyan was troubled as well.

His Majesty had left the little princess behind and hurried back, even making a detour to enter through the Yuehua Gate-clearly, he wanted to intercept someone.

Now that he had blocked her, he said nothing.

What exactly did he want?

Just as he was thinking this, Hu Jinzhong came out from inside. Seeing Qi Rang, he immediately put on a broad smile and stepped forward to greet him. “Your Majesty, you’re back! Miss Wanyu was just looking for you!”

Wanyu’s heart skipped a beat, her hands unconsciously tightening and grabbing two handfuls of snow.

The biting cold spread from her palms through her whole body, but it was nothing compared to the chill she felt under Qi Rang’s gaze.

Sun Liangyan hadn’t expected Hu Jinzhong to say such a thing either, and silently cursed the damned eunuch several times in his heart.

That dog, always currying favor and trying to climb higher, wouldn’t even spare a poor Mute.

Truly despicable.

In the dead silence, Qi Rang pressed his hand down, signaling the eunuchs to set down the palanquin. He strode over to Wanyu and said coldly, “What business do you have with Us?”

Wanyu raised her head and looked up at him in the twilight, the white snow reflecting the fading light.

He was already a lofty emperor, but from this angle, he seemed even more like a towering, perilous mountain, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Their gazes met. Wanyu lowered her eyes, intending to shake her head and deny Hu Jinzhong’s words, but Hu Jinzhong spoke up first.

“Your Majesty, Miss Wanyu said she’ll be leaving the palace the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is her last day, so she doesn’t need to be on duty at Qianqing Palace. That’s why she wanted to kowtow and bid Your Majesty farewell tonight.”

Wanyu looked at Hu Jinzhong in astonishment, not understanding why he would make up such nonsense.

Qi Rang’s expression had already darkened. He said in a low voice, “Why are you not on duty on your last day?”
Hu Jinzhong said, “According to custom, the last day is left for them to pack their things.”

“Custom?” Qi Rang’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze never leaving Wanyu. “How is it that I am unaware of such a custom in the palace? Everything must have a beginning and an end. Even on the last day, one must do their utmost.”

Upon hearing this, Wanyu’s face, already bloodless from the cold, grew even paler. Her thin body swayed slightly, like a candle in the wind.

So this was what Hu Jinzhong meant.

He knew the Emperor never bothered with such trivial matters, so he deliberately brought it up in front of him, hoping to secure his own duty in Qianqing Palace tomorrow.

Why would he do this?

In five years, she had never offended him. Why would he trip her up at this final moment?

Sun Liangyan was also furious, wishing he could stuff Hu Jinzhong’s foul mouth with dog dung to stop his nonsense.

Thinking about it, perhaps it was his own fault-maybe his earlier jibes had been taken to heart, and now Hu Jinzhong wanted to curry favor with the Emperor through Wanyu, hoping to oust him from his position as Chief Steward.

Sun Liangyan glanced apologetically at Wanyu, stepping forward to smooth things over: “Your Majesty may not know, but the day before Palace Maids leave the palace, they not only have to pack, but also hand over their duties, complete procedures, and return their palace attire. Once the palace attire is handed in, they can only wear their own clothes. Serving before their masters in such a state would seem improper.”

Qi Rang raised his brows, his gaze still fixed on Wanyu.

Palace Maids were not allowed to wear makeup or bright colors, usually deep green in spring and summer, purple-brown in autumn and winter.

For five years, these old-fashioned palace garments seemed to have grown onto her; he had never seen her in anything else.

“I don’t want to hear these excuses. Even if you wear your own clothes, you must serve me well on your last day.” He coldly tossed out these words, then strode into Yuehua Gate with his hands behind his back.

Just like that, he left. Wanyu should have felt relieved, but thinking of tomorrow, she was inexplicably dejected.

Sun Liangyan, still angry, jabbed Hu Jinzhong twice with his finger before following the Emperor out.

Hu Jinzhong was unfazed, smiling at Wanyu: “Gugu Wanyu, you heard the Emperor. He wants you to come in your own clothes tomorrow. On your last day, you must serve him well. That’s what it means to finish what you start.”

Wanyu stood up from the ground, clutching a handful of snow, and hurled it fiercely at his face before walking away in silence.

Hu Jinzhong yelped, his face stinging from the blow. He wiped his face awkwardly and muttered at her retreating figure, “Ungrateful. I’m doing this for your own good. When you become a mistress someday, you’ll thank me for my painstaking efforts.”

After five years of tempering in the palace, Wanyu rarely got angry over anything, but tonight Hu Jinzhong had truly infuriated her.

Back in the duty room, she opened the simple wardrobe against the wall. It was already tidied up, with only a peach-pink jacket and skirt trimmed with white fox fur and embroidered with butterflies and flowers hanging inside.

The clothes she wore into the palace five years ago no longer fit, and no one from home had sent her new ones. This set was secretly sent a few days ago by Xu Qingzhan, who said it was for her to wear when she left the palace.

It was the latest style, something she had never worn before. She had planned to wear it on the day she left, to meet that person looking renewed, ready to start a new life with him.

But now, she had to wear it for someone else first.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Standing before the wardrobe, she unknowingly burst into tears.

She had survived five years without incident-why was the final hurdle so hard to cross?

The heart of an emperor is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. What will tomorrow bring?

She dared not imagine.