The teacup slipped from Song Ying’s hand, spilling most of its contents across the memorials on the imperial desk.
The ink rapidly spread across the pages, blurring the writing beyond recognition in the blink of an eye.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her wrist, as though the bones were being crushed.
Terrified, Song Ying sucked in a breath from the pain. Tears instinctively welled up in her eyes, but she bit down hard on her lips and forcibly held them back.
“Didn’t Runde teach you that you only need to stand quietly at the side?”
The emperor’s grip tightened even further.
The suspicion and furious anger churning in his eyes were completely concealed beneath his murderous intent.
That gaze seemed intent on examining Song Ying thoroughly, inside and out.
Her thick eyelashes trembled, betraying her terror.
“Eunuch Runde… did indeed instruct this servant,” Song Ying replied.
She instinctively tried to shrink backward, but the grip around her wrist suddenly tightened, yanking her forward—
Song Ying nearly collided with Emperor Yongzhao’s chest, the tip of her nose barely brushing against him!
Enduring the pain, she hurriedly tried to explain herself.
“But… but as a Palace Medicine Attendant, this servant hasn’t had any medicinal decoctions to prepare for Your Majesty recently, since Your Majesty has been in good health. I thought I should at least do some small tasks within my abilities to help ease Your Majesty’s burdens…”
Did she truly not know that her constitution was unusual?
Emperor Yongzhao narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
In that case… was she a spy sent to gather confidential information from his imperial presence?
His gaze shifted slightly, sweeping across the mess on his desk.
If she attended to him at such close range every day, he might be able to guard against her for a while, but how could he possibly remain vigilant forever?
Sooner or later, there would inevitably be a moment of carelessness.
A ruthless glint flashed through his eyes.
Why not eliminate her right now—
Uproot the threat completely and put an end to all future trouble!
An overwhelming wave of killing intent surged forth.
His five fingers suddenly tightened, leaving deep red marks on her pale wrist.
He was on the verge of delivering the fatal blow when the fragrance emanating from Song Ying once again forcefully entered his nostrils.
The faint scent of ink that had once mingled with it had long since disappeared, and the stench of blood had been completely washed away.
At this moment, the fragrance coming from Song Ying was unbelievably pure and extraordinarily rich.
Emperor Yongzhao lowered his gaze, his eyes settling on her slender neck.
His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.
As though possessed by some inexplicable impulse, he actually lowered his head slightly.
His rationality was still struggling against the urge, preventing him from doing anything more inappropriate.
Even so, when he shifted his gaze, he caught sight of her small ear.
It was as white and luminous as jade, with a faint pink flush along its edges.
His nostrils flared slightly.
Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath.
That fragrance, mingled with the young woman’s slightly hurried breathing, was as intoxicating as strong wine.
It suppressed some of the pent-up agitation and violent impulses in his heart.
Yet amid that intoxication, something else rose alongside his surging murderous intent.
Fear and humiliation—
Fear of being controlled by this inexplicable fragrance.
Humiliation at being betrayed by his own body’s instincts.
He was actually afraid!
Afraid that if this woman died, he would once again be plunged into madness and chaos!
As soon as the thought emerged, his killing intent weakened.
But that fear continued to rise, growing increasingly intense.
So intense that… his fingers were trembling.
How could someone who had tasted the finest delicacies in the world ever willingly return to a life of eating coarse, miserable food?
He could disregard moral principles and trample over rules, but in the end, he could not overcome the desires buried deep within his heart, much less the human instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm.
Song Ying felt as though her entire wrist was about to snap!
Under the excruciating pain, goosebumps spread from her arm all the way to the back of her neck.
Cold sweat poured down her back, and it wasn’t entirely from fear—
The pain was simply so unbearable that she couldn’t even cry out.
All she could do was swallow her whimpers.
Her eyes had long since turned completely red.
Suddenly, the pressure around her wrist disappeared.
With the support abruptly gone, Song Ying lost her balance and fell heavily to the floor.
Instinctively raising her hand, she saw five horrifying finger marks across her wrist, bruised in shades of blue and purple.
It had already begun to swell slightly.
Calm down!
Calm down, Song Ying!
You’re practically jumping back and forth across the gates of death right now!
Just a moment ago, Emperor Yongzhao’s murderous intent had practically been right in her face!
But… but why had that chilling killing intent suddenly disappeared again?
Song Ying couldn’t understand what was going through the emperor’s mind.
According to the original novel, the villain was naturally cruel, unpredictable, and violent.
How could insignificant cannon fodder like her possibly understand his thoughts?
Although his killing intent had faded, the oppressive pressure still hung over her head, making it difficult to breathe.
She had better focus on the immediate situation.
Song Ying steadied her breathing and hurriedly kowtowed to beg forgiveness.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This servant deserves ten thousand deaths! It’s just that… this servant…”
“I noticed that Wanchun Hall receives almost no sunlight throughout the day. Although I know Your Majesty prefers peace and quiet and dislikes bright daylight, keeping the hall like this for long periods makes the air stuffy. I’m afraid it may negatively affect Your Majesty’s mood.”
“This servant took the liberty of thinking… perhaps the windows could be replaced with the kind that open upward from the bottom. That way, most of the sunlight could be blocked while still allowing fresh air to circulate. Darker-colored oiled paper could also be used for the window coverings, making the light much softer.”
She rattled off the entire explanation as quickly as she could, terrified that if she spoke even half a word too slowly, her life might truly end right there.
Emperor Yongzhao listened quietly.
His face remained expressionless, revealing neither pleasure nor anger.
After a long while, a faint snort escaped through his teeth.
“Such a glib tongue and flattering manner.”
Song Ying: …
This bastard was exactly like one of those ridiculous bosses who, when given a choice between “yes” or “no,” somehow chose “or.”
Boss…
Following that train of thought, Song Ying suddenly wondered whether he’d reacted so strongly earlier because he was afraid she’d seen some confidential documents.
She silently rolled her eyes.
Outwardly, however, she put on her brightest smile.
“Your Majesty is wise! Everything this servant has done has been entirely for Your Majesty’s sake!”
“As for the tea… Your Majesty has countless affairs of state to attend to. If this servant constantly comes over to replace it, I’m afraid I’ll disturb Your Majesty’s peace and quiet.”
“This servant was thinking that perhaps a small charcoal stove could be placed beside the imperial desk, with a silver kettle on top to keep the tea warm. That way, Your Majesty could enjoy hot tea whenever you wished, without this servant needing to disturb you so frequently.”
Although Emperor Yongzhao didn’t know exactly what Song Ying was plotting, now that the fox had revealed its tail, why wouldn’t he follow it and see where it led?
His gaze naturally swept over Song Ying.
“Granted.”
Hearing this, Song Ying hurriedly kowtowed and crawled back to her little corner.
It seemed that taking the initiative carried the risk of stepping on a landmine.
But as long as she chose her steps carefully, occasionally taking a gamble might actually pay off!
As for major changes to the furnishings and layout of the hall, Song Ying didn’t dare carry them out herself.
She waited until her shift was almost over before deliberately bringing the matter up with Eunuch Runde.
In her eyes, Eunuch Runde was her immediate supervisor.
Emperor Yongzhao was the temperamental client who held all the power.
And she was the unfortunate cannon-fodder employee caught between her supervisor and the client.
After hearing Song Ying relay His Majesty’s wishes, Eunuch Runde continued smiling so broadly that his eyes almost disappeared.
“Miss Song Ying, how thoughtful of you. Since this is His Majesty’s wish, it naturally takes the highest priority.”
Eunuch Runde looked to be over fifty, but the wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled didn’t make him appear old.
Instead, he looked remarkably energetic and vigorous.
Song Ying decided to work on gaining his favor, laying a solid foundation for slacking off in the future.
The following days passed according to a fixed routine.
Every day, she had to get up before the Mao hour and endure until after the Xu hour before she could finally finish work.
This twelve-hour work schedule, from eight in the morning until eight at night, was practically driving Song Ying insane with exhaustion!
Although she didn’t have any actual work to do, she spent every day standing in a corner from morning until night.
But she had no days off!
Not a single day!
She was nothing more than a decorative vase beside the imperial desk, standing there all day.
Who cared whether that vase was tired or thirsty, or whether it needed to be moved somewhere else for a little fresh air?
And that wasn’t all.
Her freedom of movement was also strictly restricted.
Apart from Wanchun Hall’s main hall and the eastern side hall where she lived, she wasn’t allowed to set foot anywhere else.
How was this any different from being imprisoned?!
Even her clothes were rigidly regulated.
The palace uniforms delivered quarterly by the Inner Court had fixed designs and monotonous colors.
With autumn now upon them, she owned five identical pink-and-green palace uniforms.
If these weren’t prison uniforms, what were they?!
She changed between them every day, looking as though she’d been copied and pasted.
Occasionally, when she wanted to improve her meals, she couldn’t.
All three meals were delivered by the palace kitchen according to a fixed arrangement.
Song Ying could only shamelessly beg Eunuch Runde for help.
Fortunately, Eunuch Runde was a genuinely kind person and was happy to help with such small requests.
But she couldn’t keep troubling him like this forever.
No!
She had to find a way to improve her working environment and living conditions!
*
At the beginning of the You hour, after the evening meal.
The daylight gradually faded.
Outside the hall, dusk deepened into darkness, while the outlines of the furnishings inside slowly grew indistinct.
The splendor of daylight disappeared, leaving everything submerged in a deep blue twilight.
The palace lamp on the imperial desk cast a warm yellow glow.
After spending the past few days attending to Emperor Yongzhao, Song Ying had more or less figured out his daily schedule.
This emperor didn’t attend morning court.
Instead, Eunuch Runde personally brought all the memorials to Wanchun Hall, where the emperor reviewed and annotated them himself.
Once he sat down at his desk, he remained there all day, from morning until night.
What a workaholic.
Song Ying stood in the corner of the hall with her hands lowered, her calves aching from standing for so long.
Taking advantage of the dim lighting, she quietly slipped behind a pillar, sat down in a comfortable position, and decided to take a little nap.
Behind the imperial desk, the vermilion brush paused.
Emperor Yongzhao silently raised his eyes, his gaze landing precisely on the small figure in the corner of the hall.
Song Ying sat hugging her knees, her head tilted against the wall.
Her breathing was light and shallow.
She was probably fast asleep.
Ever since he’d warned her on her first day, she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries again.
Most of the time, she obediently remained in her place, making herself almost unnoticeable.
Yet he couldn’t ignore her.
Occasionally, he would catch sight of her rising onto her tiptoes.
Or turning her head to gaze absently out the window, her eyes unfocused.
If a bird happened to fly past, her eyes would suddenly light up, following it until it disappeared.
Had he gotten used to her?
His thin lips pressed together slightly.
Over the past few days, he had actually begun growing accustomed to having such a figure in the hall.
No. Perhaps accustomed was far too mild a word.
It was more like… a yearning born of craving.
A craving for the clean, gentle fragrance emanating from her body.
As long as he could sense her presence, the agitation and chaos that constantly tormented him would subside almost instantly, granting him a moment of peace.
He could no longer remember how long it had been since he’d possessed such control over his own mind.
Without being overwhelmed by the noise around him, even his thoughts became exceptionally clear while reviewing memorials, and his efficiency had improved considerably.
However, over the past two days, he had clearly noticed a change in her.
She seemed troubled and unhappy.
Her fragrance had become chaotic and muddled, no longer clear or rich.
And he, too, was once again being overwhelmed by that familiar agitation and irritability.
Just like now—
The candle flames flickered inside the hall.
The unpleasant smell of melting wax mingled with smoke and entered his nostrils, magnified countless times until it left him thoroughly irritated.
…He wanted to snap the brush in his hand.
Clack!
The vermilion brush was thrown heavily onto the imperial desk.
He raised his eyes and looked toward the soundly sleeping figure in the corner.
A nameless anger, mixed with frustration, surged up in his chest.
That damned servant!
How dare she disturb his peace?!
He wanted to drag her to her feet and demand to know exactly what she was so unhappy about!
But just as the words reached his lips, they suddenly stopped—
He… had forgotten her name.
His chest felt even more stifled.
Just then, Song Ying’s head suddenly nodded forward, and her forehead struck the wall, jolting her awake instantly.
She opened her eyes groggily.
But the moment she raised her head, her gaze met Emperor Yongzhao’s directly.
Those dark, brooding phoenix eyes were staring at her without blinking.
Who knew how long he’d been watching her?
Song Ying was so frightened that her soul nearly flew out of her body!
Ignoring the pain, she hurriedly shuffled forward on her knees and begged for forgiveness.
“This servant deserves ten thousand deaths! P-please spare my life, Your Majesty!”
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!
An employee had been caught slacking off at work!
And she’d been caught red-handed by a tyrannical boss, no less!
Wait a minute…
If he really wanted to kill me, he should’ve punished me immediately. Why would he wait until now?
He clearly noticed me a while ago, yet he hasn’t done anything…
Doesn’t that indirectly prove that I’ve been doing a pretty good job of blending into the background?
Song Ying secretly glanced at that bastard’s face.
Normally, she barely had any opportunities to speak while serving as part of the background…
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to slowly soften up this stubborn old turtle?!
In the next instant, Song Ying’s eyes filled with tears as she began playing the victim.
“Your Majesty…”
That single, pitiful cry successfully made Emperor Yongzhao’s already furrowed brows draw together even more tightly.
For the sake of getting two days off a week, Song Ying decided to go all out.
She began sobbing pitifully.
“This servant… this servant deserves to die! Behaving so disgracefully in Your Majesty’s presence is a crime that even ten thousand deaths couldn’t atone for! B-but this servant… truly couldn’t endure it any longer, Your Majesty!”
She raised her tear-filled eyes.
“Th-this servant has been attending to Your Majesty for days without daring to slack off in the slightest… I’m really so exhausted that I can barely keep my eyes open… I just thought… I just thought I could close my eyes for a little while… This servant will never dare do it again…”
Emperor Yongzhao watched her coldly.
The violent irritation that had been building inside him for the past two days was left simmering uncomfortably by the sight of her crying, unable to either erupt or subside.
This woman really was an enormous nuisance!
Not only did she leave his mind unsettled, but now she even dared put on such an act in front of him!
His imperial eyes narrowed slightly.
He was just about to reprimand her when the question that had been troubling him earlier resurfaced.
“You.”
He finally spoke, his voice deep and icy.
“What’s your name?”
The sobbing stopped abruptly.
Song Ying: Huh?