Hearing the noise, the man immediately moved.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting today.” Qunqing pulled him toward the low window and opened it slightly. She knew that hiding in such a small and dark place was difficult for anyone.
“I’m sorry.”
“…I didn’t wait long,” the man replied hoarsely.
But as soon as he felt her lift the hem of his shirt, he immediately fell silent. His ears turned bright red.
Su Run, a newly appointed young doctor from the Imperial Academy, still had a slight southern accent.
When Qunqing changed his bandages, the cloth had stuck to his wound. He gritted his teeth from the pain but did not make a sound.
Qunqing was focused only on treating his wounds. To be honest, his injuries were so severe that his body was covered in blood, making it difficult to tell where one wound ended and another began. She was also listening carefully to the sounds outside the door, so she had no other thoughts.
The deepest wound on Su Run’s back had stopped bleeding and showed no signs of infection. Qunqing sprinkled some medicine on it, then wrapped his lower back and hips with clean cloth.
Over the past few days, she had gradually reduced how often she changed his bandages. As long as he continued to rest properly, his life was no longer in danger.
That should be enough.
Qunqing thought to herself.
Her medical skills were limited. She could not completely cure him. She could only make sure he survived, just as she had treated her own injuries.
Su Run had no idea what she was thinking. He remained silent, his face becoming hotter and hotter.
Finally, he broke the silence.
“Um… Madam, did any of those people go to my room to check whether I was dead?”
After all, it had happened three years ago. Qunqing thought for a moment before remembering.
“Yes. Someone came to deliver food every day. I put some dirty water and leftovers in your room. They hated the smell, so they never came inside. No one should have noticed that you weren’t there.”
“Thank you,” Su Run said softly.
Then he sneered inwardly.
Those people probably thought they would be able to collect his body in a few days.
He slowly turned his head. Because of the injuries to his waist and hips, he had to lie face down and could not clearly see Qunqing’s face. He could only feel her warm breath nearby.
Today, her hair was loose, and a few strands hung down beside her face.
Qunqing dissolved the medicine in a bowl and fed it to him.
Su Run drank from her hand. The loose strands of her hair kept brushing against his cheek.
Qunqing said, “After you finish this medicine, you can leave.”
Su Run choked.
“This medicine is used for battle wounds. After taking it, you won’t feel much pain for a while. There won’t be many people on the palace road at noon. Go back to where you belong, and then we’ll go our separate ways.”
Qunqing looked at him and spoke as calmly as possible.
“When I changed your bandages the day before yesterday, Huixiang heard us. Today it is her. Next time, it will be me. If you stay here, you’ll only cause trouble and drag me into this.”
The palace maid named Huixiang had already been taken back to the inner palace. The two of them could occasionally hear her cries and pleas for mercy from outside.
In the first year of Emperor Shenglin’s reign, the inner palace was conducting a thorough investigation for spies.
“I know.”
Su Run’s face immediately turned red.
“I’m sorry. I never meant to involve you. I…”
By the end, he was extremely ashamed.
Qunqing only hummed in response and said nothing more.
In her previous life, her friendship with Su Run had begun with this act of saving his life.
That day, a palanquin had been carried into the inner palace. It carried a newly arrived scholar who was said to be a demoted official from another place.
He had to be carried because he had just been severely beaten and could no longer walk.
Normally, officials who were punished like this would be given medicine and allowed to rest for several days afterward.
But Su Run’s situation was different.
The medicine those people had applied to his wounds contained sand and lime, making his injuries even worse.
As Su Run became weaker and weaker, he used the last of his strength to crawl outside and call for help. Somehow, he managed to reach the area outside the North Warehouse.
One night, when Qunqing went outside, she saw someone lying unconscious in the bamboo grove.
His clothes were covered in blood, and the fish-shaped badge at his waist reflected the moonlight.
He was a ninth-rank palace official.
After hesitating for a moment, Qunqing took a huge risk and dragged him back to the North Warehouse. She hid him in a dark corner, carefully cleaned his wounds, changed his bandages, and fed him medicine.
In the end, she saved Su Run’s life.
The two of them had met by chance. Other than changing his bandages, they barely interacted.
Once Su Run was able to walk again, he left on his own because he did not want to cause trouble for her.
The next time Qunqing saw Su Run was at the palace teaching center.
He had already recovered and was teaching the palace maids how to paint plum blossoms and bamboo.
Qunqing had not had many chances to learn calligraphy and painting when she was young, so she listened especially carefully after finally meeting someone who was truly skilled.
However, whenever Qunqing looked closely at Su Run, the young teacher on the platform would always avoid her eyes and instead look at the leaves outside the window.
Qunqing never thought much of it.
Even after she entered the Sixth Palace, Su Run continued to work as a junior scholar.
He kept in touch with her, reminding her to wear more clothes when the weather was cold and bringing her an umbrella when it rained.
He was somewhat shy and indecisive, but he never bothered her.
Whenever she needed his help, he was always willing to cover for her.
So Qunqing never ended their friendship.
It was only after Lu Huating pointed it out that Qunqing realized Su Run had probably already guessed her identity and purpose.
That was why he had risked everything to help her and protect their friendship.
In Qunqing’s eyes, Su Run had been dragged into trouble because of her.
If he had never become friends with her, if he had never helped her, he would not have offended Lu Huating.
And he would not have lost his career or his life because of Lu Huating.
Besides, she was planning to give up everything now. There was even less reason to drag Su Run into her troubles.
Since kindness was difficult to repay, perhaps it was better not to become friends in the first place.
Now that Qunqing had told him to leave, Su Run was too embarrassed to stay any longer.
He tried several times to stand up, but cold sweat immediately covered his face.
Qunqing pressed him back down.
“Don’t rush. The medicine hasn’t taken effect yet.”
Su Run looked at her hand resting on his sleeve. Finally, he gathered his courage and asked,
“Madam, may I ask your name? If you hadn’t taken care of me, I would probably be lying dead somewhere in the wilderness. If I recover in the future, I will repay your kindness.”
Qunqing asked, “What’s your name?”
Su Run answered without hesitation.
“My surname is Su. My given name is Run, and my courtesy name is Yujie. And you, Madam?”
“Qunqing.”
Before he could say anything else, she continued,
“I don’t make friends. I only make deals.”
Su Run was stunned.
“A deal?”
“You don’t need to repay me for saving your life,” Qunqing said. “That day, I saved you because I saw your fish-shaped badge. You are a palace official, so I thought you might be useful to me.”
She looked at him calmly.
“But now, you’re useless.”
Her blunt words made Su Run frown slightly.
He wondered what had happened to make her speak this way. There was surprise in his eyes, mixed with a trace of pity.
Qunqing then asked, “By the way, I haven’t asked you yet. Who did you offend to be treated like this?”
The beating had been aimed at his hips and legs, but Su Run’s injuries were much higher, reaching his spine. Such injuries could easily leave a person disabled.
The medicine they had applied to his wounds had also been mixed with dirt and other filthy things.
Afterward, they had simply thrown him into the Night Court Palace to die on his own.
It was clearly deliberate revenge.
“It’s fine to tell you,” Su Run sighed. “It was Meng Guanlou, the newly appointed Censor.”
“Meng Guanlou? Is he the eldest son of Prime Minister Meng?”
Qunqing was surprised.
Meng Guangshen had once been Crown Prince Li Xuan’s tutor and one of Emperor Chenming’s advisers.
After the emperor took the throne, Meng Guangshen became prime minister. He had always been careful, calm, and tactful.
His eldest son was also said to be talented.
Qunqing had not expected him to be so arrogant. He was completely different from his father.
She continued asking Su Run, “What position did you hold before? And why did you offend him?”
“I was a candidate in the Jiangxi provincial examination during the final years of Emperor Huangdi’s reign. I entered the Imperial Academy last year. This year, because there was a serious shortage of examiners, I was appointed as one.”
Su Run’s expression became gloomy.
“While reviewing the examination papers, I didn’t know that Meng Guanlou was Prime Minister Meng’s son. I said… some things I shouldn’t have said.”
He looked embarrassed.
“Someone noticed that his answer sheet seemed to have been written by another person. The handwriting on his preliminary examination paper and final examination paper was slightly different.”
Su Run had been so angry that he made a huge issue of it.
The next day, the Ministry of Personnel summoned Meng Guanlou and ordered him to write another policy essay on the spot.
The result proved that Meng Guanlou really was talented and did not need someone else to take the examination for him.
After Meng Guanlou finished writing the long essay, he threw the ink brush straight at Su Run’s face.
His expression was extremely dark.
After that, Su Run was dragged away and accused of neglecting his duties.
“I never expected him to hold such a grudge,” Su Run said bitterly. “I only offended him once, and now he wants to take my life.”
“Are you sure the two papers weren’t written by the same person?” Qunqing asked.
“Someone who specializes in calligraphy and painting examined them. He is very good at judging handwriting. He was certain they were written by different people.”
“Then why would he risk having someone else take the examination for him if he could answer the questions himself?”
Qunqing frowned.
“That is strange. Is Meng Guanlou really so arrogant that he would ignore the rules of the imperial examination?”
Or had something happened on the day of the re-examination that prevented him from appearing himself, forcing him to have someone else take the examination for him?
The warning given to Su Run clearly suggested that there was something else behind the matter.
Someone did not want anyone investigating further.
However, Qunqing did not say this aloud.
Meng Guanlou’s evidence was useless to her.
At least, that was what she thought.
—Perhaps it wasn’t completely useless after all.
Meng Guanlou was the son of Prime Minister Meng, who was also the Crown Prince’s mentor and naturally supported the Crown Prince.
As Prince Yan’s military achievements grew and his influence became stronger, Prime Minister Meng began to suppress him, fearing that he would threaten the Crown Prince’s position.
Lu Huating wanted to help Prince Yan take the throne, so he had to compete with Prime Minister Meng and Meng Guanlou. The two sides were currently engaged in a fierce secret struggle.
Qunqing stared at Su Run until he swallowed nervously.
She said, “Let me show you a way out. Aren’t you afraid those people will come after you again? Go to Prince Yan’s residence, find Chief Secretary Lu, and tell him what you just told me about Meng Guanlou having someone else take the examination for him. He will definitely try to save your life. He may even give you the best medicine and, if you’re lucky, help you get revenge.”
“Chief Secretary Lu… Chief Secretary Lu?”
Su Run repeated the name several times, looking confused.
Qunqing was slightly surprised. Then she suddenly realized.
Lu Huating was still just an unknown chief secretary in Prince Yan’s residence.
Apart from her, probably no one would believe that this man would one day become so powerful and ruthless that he could turn the entire world upside down in Great Chen.
Qunqing felt a little guilty.
“Remember, you must not tell him that you know me.”
Su Run hesitated. “You and him…”
“We don’t know each other. We’ve never met,” Qunqing interrupted. “But I don’t want him to know that I exist.”
Su Run looked at her, a trace of doubt appearing in his eyes.
Qunqing thought he was afraid, so she reassured him.
“I’ve heard that Chief Secretary Lu is very clever and calculating. He wouldn’t harm someone like you who has nothing to do with his interests. You can borrow his power without worrying.”
Su Run said, “I trust you, Madam. But I’m going to seek help from Chief Secretary Lu, and I don’t have anything that can prove who I am. I’m afraid Prince Yan’s residence is heavily guarded. The guards may send word through the gate, so they won’t let me inside. When I was thrown here, I had nothing with me…”
Qunqing understood what he meant.
She packed several things into a basket and handed it to him.
When she had worked in the palace before, nobles had occasionally given her jewelry and expensive snacks. She had kept all of them in a cabinet, knowing they might be useful someday.
“Take these. Use them to bribe the guards at Prince Yan’s residence. You must see Chief Secretary Lu.”
Su Run held the basket tightly.
“Is this all the wealth you have, Madam? We’ve only met once. Why are you being so kind to me?”
His expression became gloomy, and there was a trace of sadness in his eyes.
“I’m only a low-ranking palace official. I can’t even protect my own life…”
Qunqing thought about what had happened to her and Su Run in her previous life.
No matter what, she owed him a debt of gratitude.
If they could not become friends again, then she would repay that kindness by helping his career.
She firmly pushed the basket into his arms.
“The new dynasty has only just been established, and everything is still in chaos. The struggle within the palace is fierce and ruthless. Once you start thinking about giving up, the more you retreat, the fewer choices you will have.”
She looked at him seriously.
“You don’t want to fight with Meng Guanlou, but once he remembers you, he may not let you go.”
“Su Run, you were a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. There, you had the power to decide whether a candidate passed or failed. But here, you can’t even decide whether you live or die.”
“If you want a freer life, you have to fight for it yourself.”
Qunqing wanted to push him a little harder. She glanced at the basket.
“Of course, if you think it is comfortable to wait here in the palace for death, then forget everything I said. Take the snacks back and eat them yourself.”
There was no one on the palace road outside the window.
Qunqing helped him stand and was about to send him out when Su Run suddenly grabbed her sleeve.
“Who exactly are you, Madam?”
Qunqing’s expression turned cold.
“I’ll show you how to survive.”
Su Run’s face immediately went pale with fright.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
The two of them froze.
Qunqing placed a finger against her lips, then pointed toward the window, signaling him to wait and act according to the situation.
She went outside and locked the warehouse door behind her.
When she opened the door, Lady Zhang was standing outside.
Lady Zhang pointed at Qunqing’s neck and laughed so hard that her eyes almost disappeared.
“Your rash healed just in time! Come with me quickly. We can still make it!”
“Make it to what?”
Qunqing was stunned.
Hadn’t the selection of palace maids already ended?
Lady Zhang laughed.
“You’re so lucky! Somehow, Bao Shu offended Princess Bao’an. The princess knocked her embroidery to the ground and even had Princess Yan’s wife drive her away.”
“Princess Yan’s wife is very careful. She checked the roster one by one and discovered that you were missing.”
“Oh, so I told her everything. Aren’t you happy? Why aren’t you smiling?”
Qunqing’s smile looked rather forced.
“Princess Bao’an wants you to go there immediately. She doesn’t care about your rash. Princess Yan’s wife also wants to see you.”
A soft clanging sound suddenly came from inside the North Warehouse.
Lady Zhang suspiciously rolled up her sleeves.
“Are there rats in the warehouse again? I’ll go take a look.”
Qunqing quickly grabbed her arm.
“Madam, business is more important. Help me fix my hair. Let’s go now.”
A moment later, Lady Zhang pulled Qunqing onto the palace road.
“Is there something special about your embroidery?”
As they walked, Lady Zhang looked at her suspiciously.
“Aren’t you surprised that Bao Shu angered the princess?”
Qunqing said, “I still can’t hide anything from you, Madam. Do you know why I embroidered a second piece?”
“The acacia tree represents the union of a man and a woman. When Chu fell, Princess Bao’an lost her innocence to Prince Yan. She became upset by the rumors and was afraid to leave the palace. She even had the two acacia trees at the palace entrance cut down.”
“I was afraid of offending the princess.”
As she spoke, her memories slowly returned.
Back then, when she thought about this, she had been afraid that Yang Fu would be saddened if she saw the embroidery.
So she had gotten up in the middle of the night and stayed awake until she finished making another one.
Stitch by stitch, she had embroidered her hopes for the future.
She had hoped that her return would protect Yang Fu and free her from the pain of losing her country and family.
“Thank goodness you have such a good memory. I almost forgot.”
Lady Zhang covered her mouth and laughed.
“Bao Shu took credit for someone else’s work. This must be fate!”
“However, how did you know Bao Shu would choose the acacia embroidery?”
Lady Zhang still couldn’t understand.
“If she had taken the orchid embroidery you made, wouldn’t that have suited her better?”
Qunqing did not answer.
She only smiled, her eyes filled with emotions she did not say aloud.
The unusual slanted stitches on that embroidery had been created by Qunqing herself. She was the only person in the entire palace who knew how to make them.
Back in the palace of Chu, only Princess Bao’an had worn clothes with this special embroidery. Everyone had envied her.
Those clothes represented the happiest and most carefree days of Princess Bao’an’s childhood.
If Yang Fu saw her embroidery in Bao Shu’s hands but did not see Qunqing herself, it would bring back painful memories.
She would naturally become even harsher toward Bao Shu.
When someone was already in a bad mood, no one could expect to take advantage of her.