Chapter 97: Service
By the time the palace banquet dispersed, the sky had long been shrouded in dense darkness.
Zuo Lianzhi had no rank, so she naturally hadn’t entered the palace today. She merely watched the firecrackers with the rest of the Zuo family and had a reunion dinner.
Because it was New Year’s Day, and everyone felt that an unpleasant scene would affect the year’s fortune, they were exceptionally kind to her. Everyone restrained themselves a little; the worst they did was ignore her, without speaking sarcastically.
Although they played late today, it wasn’t like New Year’s Eve where they needed to stay up all night. After Zuo Lianzhi washed up and changed clothes, she was already prepared to sleep. Hearing that her aunt summoned her, she couldn’t help but be slightly surprised. “Does Aunt have important business with me?”
The maid who delivered the message was a second-rank servant in the Zuo family mistress’s room. Keeping a straight face, she said, “This slave is not clear either; Fourth Miss will know naturally when you go.”
Because this maid’s status wasn’t too high, she was usually respectful to her.
Seeing her expression now, Zuo Lianzhi’s heart plummeted rapidly, sinking to rock bottom in an instant.
She composed her face and replied softly, “Alright, I will go right away. Please wait a moment; allow me to change into an outer robe.”
“Fourth Miss had better hurry; the Madam is waiting anxiously,” the maid replied coldly, moving a few steps forward to guard the door.
By the time she hurriedly changed her clothes and rushed to the main courtyard, a quarter of an hour had passed.
As soon as she stepped into the main hall, a stern shout came from the seat of honor: “Look at the good deeds you’ve done!”
Zuo Lianzhi’s eyelid jumped. She hurriedly bowed to pay respects, asking with a trembling voice, “Lianzhi has been at home recently; I do not know what I have done wrong to make Aunt so angry?”
Although she said this, she figured she hadn’t done anything during this period. Even if they wanted to pick on her faults, they couldn’t find anything. She spoke with some confidence.
The current head of the Zuo family was the third branch, Zuo Lianzhi’s cousin-uncle’s family. The relationship was already separated by a layer. Although they lived under one roof, they weren’t very close.
The Third Madam Zuo sneered. Looking down at her niece-in-law, she rested her arm on the armrest beside her, her voice heavy. “You don’t know? Then how did you know when you incited the Cui girl to shake out the fact that the Eldest Princess Jiangdu was the Zhao family’s adopted daughter?”
Her heartbeat missed a beat. Zuo Lianzhi wasn’t sure if she had evidence, but still struggled to defend herself: “Aunt, there must be some misunderstanding in this.”
“Misunderstanding?” Third Madam Zuo’s eyes contained hostility as she sneered. “Back when you were in the family, who treated you unfairly? Considering you had no father, the sisters all yielded to you somewhat. Your mother committed such a scandalous act, yet she made the Marquis of Huai’an come forward, threatening life and death to take you away. Now you’ve finally got your wish! All are daughters of the Zuo family; others are fine, but you are just like your dead mother—your heart is poisonous and cruel, rotten to the bone!”
Zuo Lianzhi’s face stiffened abruptly.
But not because of Third Madam Zuo’s scolding.
Since returning to the Zuo family, Zuo Lianzhi had been confined at home, not allowed to walk about freely. In the last month or two, for some unknown reason, the control had become increasingly strict.
At first, she thought it was because of the year’s end and worry about chaos outside.
Zuo Lianzhi stared blankly at the woman with the high bun in the seat of honor, asking with a trembling voice, “What did Aunt say just now?”
Third Madam Zuo’s face was also a bit unnatural. Regarding Madam Xu’s matter, the family had initially been ordered not to pass it back. But in her anger just now, she had blurted it out herself.
“Knowing her crimes were too numerous to record, she committed suicide in prison,” Third Madam Zuo said indifferently.
She spoke lightly, but Zuo Lianzhi heard it with eyes splitting in horror.
“How can that be!” Zuo Lianzhi screamed. The scene before her eyes suddenly blurred into a mess, and her ears were filled with a buzzing sound. “What crime could Mother have? She… she must have been harmed by someone!”
Two lines of tears slid down without warning. Zuo Lianzhi stepped forward two paces, wanting to grab Third Madam Zuo’s hand, but was avoided. “Fourth Miss, don’t you feel a guilty conscience saying that?”
Zuo Lianzhi didn’t have time to haggle over this. She just said, “Aunt, I know you don’t like Mother. Then send me out of the manor; let me go see my maternal grandfather, alright?”
“You don’t know yet, do you? It was your maternal grandfather who went to the prison, and after they left, your mother committed suicide.” Third Madam Zuo wasn’t very clear on the specific details either; she had heard it from outside. Thinking for a moment, she added, “By the way, your cousin has been exiled by His Majesty.”
Zuo Lianzhi was truly stunned this time. Temporary blindness attacked her. She couldn’t hear the sounds by her ear clearly, nor could she remember what Third Madam Zuo scolded her about afterward.
When she came out of the main courtyard, her body was tottering as if she would collapse in the next moment.
Walking all the way back, after her mind cleared slightly, she began to recall Third Madam Zuo’s words. After chewing on them carefully, she gasped sharply.
Mother committed suicide—could it be related to Cousin being exiled?
As she walked, that dizziness attacked again. There was a pond to the side. When she accidentally stepped on the moss, her whole body slipped downward. Although she tried her best to grab the tree trunk beside her, she still couldn’t steady herself and slid down.
With a soft “plop,” the thin ice surface was smashed open, and her body fell into the water.
The winter pond water was bitingly cold. Zuo Lianzhi struggled and thrashed inside, but because her clothes were heavy and the ice surface was too thin, just as she reached the ice, there was another crisp crack, and she sank to the bottom of the pond again.
The water wasn’t deep, and she was close to the shore, but because she was too clumsy in the heavy clothes, she couldn’t get ashore no matter how hard she tried.
She had rushed out fast, and the maids behind hadn’t caught up yet. She struggled, trying to call for help loudly, but in an instant, her mouth and nose were filled with cold water.
There was no moment more despairing than now.
The maids gradually caught up. Seeing her thrashing in the pond water, their faces all changed. However, her two personal maids couldn’t swim and could only look for a stick to help.
After trying and failing to fish her out, one of them hurriedly went to report to the mistress.
No one cared about Zuo Lianzhi in the family. The maids didn’t care much about her to begin with. Having experienced the mistress’s anger today, they took this matter even less to heart, only jogging over.
On a pine treetop not far away, two figures huddled in the foliage, watching the struggling figure below with cold eyes.
One said, “Finally, we can report back to His Majesty.”
The other nodded. “Her body is quite strong; she can struggle for so long.”
A death on New Year’s Day was naturally not auspicious. Even though the Zuo family mistress hated her to the bone and regretted letting her move back, she hurriedly ordered servants who could swim to go over and fish her out.
However, even though she was rescued, she was barely breathing now.
After rushing to invite a doctor over, they all said it was hard to save her. Even if she was barely saved, her health would be completely ruined.
Sending more people to take care of her, Third Madam Zuo gritted her teeth and said, “I just scolded her today, and she pulls this stunt on me. Is she afraid others won’t think I abused her?”
A maid whispered, “Fourth Miss might have fallen in accidentally.”
“I don’t care if it was unintentional or intentional. Why didn’t she fall any other day, but just today? As long as it’s at this juncture, it’s her fault.” Third Madam Zuo’s voice was icy as she rubbed the teacup. “Never mind. Have someone watch her closely first. If anything happens, report back in time. No matter what, keep her alive first.”
In a remote corner of the Zuo manor, the two men from before were complaining to each other.
“How was I to know her life was so tough? She still isn’t completely dead.”
Thinking they had nothing to report to the Emperor, the two trembled with fear.
The one in green robes was steadier. After calming down, he said gravely, “With her like this, it counts as a living death. His Majesty shouldn’t mind.”
Zhao Yiyi struggled to wake from her sleep. Actually, she hadn’t slept enough, but she usually got up at this hour, so she woke up automatically today as well.
Her eyelids kept fighting; she was so sleepy she could barely open her eyes. Just as she turned over to continue sleeping, the images from last night involuntarily replayed before her eyes.
Just thinking about it made her flush red, wishing she could cover her face and forget it immediately.
That experience was too novel. Even though a whole night had passed, she still couldn’t forget it. Even her body still had slight tremors.
“Awake?” Seeming to sense the movement inside the bed curtains, someone suddenly asked.
Hearing the familiar voice, Zhao Yiyi was stunned first, then asked, “Why are you here?”
Gu Zhen laughed angrily at her question. He suddenly lifted the curtain to look at her, asking in a low voice, “Does Yiyi want Zhen to demonstrate again how Zhen was here last night?”
He was so close—a distance sufficient to scare Zhao Yiyi.
Frightened, she shrank toward the wall, staring at him with moist almond eyes, but not saying a single word.
Such a timid appearance softened Gu Zhen’s heart. He handed in a cup of warm water and said warmly, “Get up and have breakfast first, then sleep after eating.”
As soon as she saw him, the images from last night became increasingly clear, impossible to shake off. Her ears gradually heated up, and her cheeks were flushed crimson.
Gu Zhen chuckled lightly. Reaching out to touch her cheek, he laughed low and asked, “What were you thinking about to blush like this?”
Thinking about what?
How could Zhao Yiyi dare to say those images out loud?
“You go out first.” She frowned, turning her head to the inside, her expression not looking very good. “You go out first, then we’ll talk. Just call Yunzhu and the others in; I want to change clothes.”
But Gu Zhen moved closer, stroking the soft broken hair on her forehead, and whispered, “Zhen was bullied by you like that last night. Just one night passed; how can you turn your face and deny people?”
It was fine if he didn’t mention it, but bringing it up made Zhao Yiyi’s eyes turn red instantly. She bit her lip and looked back at him. “You still have the nerve to say it. Then tell me clearly, who exactly bullied whom last night?”
Her eyes were red, and her whole person was still huddled in the brocade quilt. Her black hair appeared somewhat messy.
Yet there was a lazy, casual beauty to it.
That voice, soft with a hint of coldness, almost numbed one’s ears.
Gu Zhen lowered his head and kissed the corner of her eye, amused. “Zhen served you like that, yet it became Zhen bullying you, hm?”
Zhao Yiyi’s face turned completely red. Enduring that heat, she covered her face with both hands and said, “You… how can there be such a thing? How could you…”
She was so shy she could hardly speak, let alone mention last night’s events.
Just mentioning it made her feel as if her cheeks were on fire.
Gu Zhen propped one hand on the inner side of the bed, his deep phoenix eyes half-lowered, and said seriously, “Why can’t I? Didn’t Your Highness enjoy it last night too? If nothing else, listening to Your Highness’s voice, it sounded like you liked it.”
Zhao Yiyi turned pale with shock. Pushing him hard, she said with shame and indignation, “No nonsense!”
What enjoyment? What liking?
When did she… when was she ever as… as unbearable as he said?
To think he could say it so seriously!
A wave of heat swept through her body, making her breathing uneven. She said annoyed, “I don’t know where you learned it from. I never saw it before. You must have learned it for who knows how long and tried it who knows how many times.”
Married for three years, this was the first time she had seen such a thing. Even the illustrated books she read before marriage and the teachings of the older servants never mentioned it.
Gu Zhen had a headache from her anger. His face darkened, and he said hatefully, “You never want to think well of Zhen all day. When has there ever been anyone else in the palace? It’s not as sordid as you think.”
Zhao Yiyi turned her head away, not wanting to pay attention to him.
Especially since even just looking at him now, her body could faintly generate the same feeling as yesterday.
Worried that sleeping too long would mess up her schedule, Zhao Yiyi got up anyway. After changing into lighter clothes, she went to the front hall for breakfast.
Gu Zhen kept putting food in her bowl, but she just kept a cold face, looked down to eat, and didn’t say a single word.
“Zhen has free time these few days. I’ll finish the remaining government affairs in a while, then take you out of the palace for a stroll,” Gu Zhen said clearly, putting a few more winter bamboo shoots in her bowl.
Zhao Yiyi’s eating motion paused slightly, but she still didn’t answer him.
Actually, he wasn’t wrong. She indeed enjoyed it somewhat last night.
She was just ashamed to admit it.
After breakfast, one went to the side hall to handle government affairs, and the other went to the study to play the zither.
Just after playing “Seagulls and Egrets Forget Schemes,” as she was tuning the strings to play another song, Mancao entered the study. Standing to the side, she reported, “Your Highness, news came from outside the palace. Miss Zuo fell into the water last night and is still in a coma right now.”
📖 Advance Access: Complete Novel
- Option 1: Note your email on PayPal/Ko-fi.
- Option 2: Email proof to beezzzreads@gmail.com.
- Option 3: Comment below.
Recommended Reads
