138 Trapped (1)

Han Feiyue once mentioned her craving for the osmanthus cakes made by Yunqing. A few days later, she was indeed longing for them and asked me to pay a visit to procure some.

Han Feiyue recounted that when she was a young girl under Lu Ning’s care, Yunqing used to make these cakes for her, which she grew to love dearly. It is said that the cravings of a pregnant woman are unpredictable; she might desire something one moment and lose interest the next, and her appetite is difficult to gauge. Since I am in her service, I must naturally find a way to satisfy her wishes.

Taking advantage of her afternoon nap, I set off for the Cuiwei Palace. Upon my arrival, Zhang Bitong was also resting, so I did not enter to pay my respects. Yunqing and Lanyan were both delighted to see me; having not met for some time, they felt a sense of warmth and familiarity.

I addressed Yunqing, "Auntie, the Crown Princess has been longing for the osmanthus cakes you make. She is craving them today, so she specifically sent me to see if you have any on hand."

Yunqing smiled gently upon hearing this. "It seems her tastes have not changed. She loved them as a child, but she was always running about, and later, she ate them less frequently. I had assumed she no longer cared for them. Now that she is pregnant, her old palate has returned."

"That is only because your cooking is so exquisite, Auntie, that it leaves the Crown Princess unable to forget it."

Yunqing replied, "The Crown Princess has chosen a good time to ask. I made a large batch this morning, and Her Highness ate several pieces before retiring to rest. There is still plenty left in the kitchen; allow me to fetch them for you."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you for the trouble, Auntie."

As Yunqing went to the small kitchen, Lanyan asked me, "How have you been faring at Huayang Palace lately? Do you get to see the Sixth Prince often?"

I chuckled, teasing her, "So, Sister Lanyan, your heart belongs to the Sixth Prince!"

Lanyan gave me a playful nudge. "Little Xiao, you must not speak such nonsense. I simply find the Sixth Prince approachable and well-versed in literature; I merely admire him for that."

I laughed, "I was only joking, Sister Lanyan. Please do not be angry."

Lanyan sighed, "It is not that I belittle myself, but how many palace maids truly have the fate to soar to the branches and become phoenixes? Take Lady Tan and Noble Lady Ru, for example. Both were demoted to maids and later regained favor, yet their lives are far from easy now. I would rather not harbor such vain hopes."

"Are Lady Tan and Noble Lady Ru not currently enjoying the Emperor’s favor?" I asked, puzzled.

Possessing a wealth of gossip, Lanyan pulled me aside. "As for Lady Tan, perhaps the Emperor has lost interest in her; so much time has passed, and yet there is no sign of a pregnancy. There are rumors in the palace that she has been taking medicine to conceive. Although there is no way to verify it, the talk has spread."

There are no airtight walls in this world; perhaps someone in Xiyu Pavilion had let the secret slip.

"If this news spreads, whether true or false, it will surely affect Lady Tan. What about Noble Lady Ru?" I was actually more concerned about Xiao Ru. I had heard from those two maids recently that she had been neglected, and I wondered how she was faring.

"That is even more miserable. Every time the Emperor visits Nanxun Palace now, it is for Noble Lady Jun. You can imagine how disappointed Noble Lady Ru must be. To live under the same roof and witness that—one can imagine the bitterness. But who knows the reason? The Emperor’s heart is fickle, and he is never short of women by his side."

"Do not wag your tongues here; be careful of walls with ears," Yunqing said, emerging with a food box.

Lanyan smiled sheepishly, "It is just that Little Xiao hasn't been back in a long time, so I was chatting with him. Please don't blame us, Auntie."

Yunqing handed the box to me and said, "Inside, besides the osmanthus cakes, there are other pastries. If the Crown Princess likes them, you may come by whenever she craves them; I can make them fresh for her."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Lanyan teased, "Auntie Yunqing’s skills are truly superb. The Empress loves them, the Crown Princess loves them, and the Ninth Prince adores them as well. At noon, the Empress had me send some to the Ninth Prince, though unfortunately, he was not in his quarters; they said he had been summoned to the Eastern Palace by the Crown Prince."

Summoned by Jiang Yun? Hadn't Jiang Yun been gnashing his teeth at Jiang Xuan over the Lian Fei incident just a few days ago? They were on good terms again? Had Jiang Xuan explained everything clearly to him? If so, that was for the best; if they could restore their brotherly bond, it would be a source of great joy for Jiang Xuan.

I said, "Auntie Yunqing’s talent is beyond compare. Perhaps even the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen cannot match her!"

"Are you two singing a duet to flatter me?"

Lanyan and I laughed in unison. I then said, "Auntie Yunqing, I thank you on behalf of the Crown Princess today. I shall take my leave now."

"Very well. Go on."

As I carried the food box back toward Huayang Palace, I encountered Jialin halfway. I noticed her eyes were red and swollen, and there were still faint bruises on her face; it seemed she had suffered a grievance again.

"Miss Jialin, are you alright?"

Jialin, who had been walking with her head down, looked up and saw me, her eyes brimming with tears. "Little Xiao, it is so good to see you here."

"I haven't seen you in a while. What happened to your face?" I asked with concern.

"I, I am fine," Jialin said, shielding her face with her hand.

I asked, "Did Noble Lady Ya hit you again?"

Jialin replied, "It was my own clumsiness; I failed to serve my mistress well."

"Do not say that. She is simply difficult to serve. But Miss Jialin, you truly must be more clever."

Jialin whispered to me, "I know you were the one who saved me last time."

I looked at her, bewildered.

Jialin continued, "That night, when my mistress beat me, she was suddenly bitten by insects. She chased after them but found nothing. After she returned, I heard others talking and guessed it must have been you helping me out. Little Xiao, I haven't had a chance to thank you yet!"

I said, "Who said you were clumsy? You guessed it right away, didn't you? Never mind, there is no need to thank me. I saved you once, but I cannot save you every time; everything depends on you."

Jialin nodded. "Seeing you makes me feel much better. Little Xiao, why don't you go drinking with me?"

"What?"

Jialin said, "My mistress went to the stables today; she won't be back until she has finished riding for the afternoon. I am unhappy and want to drink a little. My mistress had some wine brought in recently, and after she drank some, I secretly hid a pot. Would you like to have some?"

I hesitated, "I really need to get back to Huayang Palace, I'm afraid..."

"Little Xiao, please, just this once. I am truly unhappy, and I miss my parents so much. People say that getting drunk washes away a thousand sorrows. I just want to be drunk once. Perhaps if I am drunk, everything will disappear. Little Xiao, please, just this once, will you?"

Seeing how pitiful Jialin looked, and knowing Han Feiyue was still napping, I thought it would be fine to spend a little time with her. "Very well, I will accompany you for a while, but you must not drink too much. If you get drunk, you will only cause trouble."

Jialin beamed. "With you here, I’ll be fine. I’ll go get the wine. But Little Xiao, where should we go to drink?"

I thought for a moment and said, "I know a good place where no one will find us."

"That's perfect."

The place I chose was the Lingbo Hall. It was an abandoned cold palace, and I figured no one would go there. We could drink a little, satisfy Jialin’s craving, and leave quickly; everything should be fine.

We headed there together, but fearing it might look suspicious, I told Jialin I would go ahead to wait for her, and she could bring the wine and meet me there.

As I walked toward Lingbo Hall, I ran into Little Dezi on the way.

"Greetings, Eunuch," I said immediately upon seeing him.

"Oh, it's Little Xiao. What are you doing out today?"

I pointed to the food box, "I am taking some pastries to the Crown Princess."

Little Dezi replied, "You work hard. It must be exhausting for you to be the only one serving the Crown Princess."

I quickly responded, "You are too kind, Eunuch. It is merely my duty."

Little Dezi nodded, "I am heading back now."

I suddenly remembered and asked, "Is the Ninth Prince with the Crown Prince right now?"

Little Dezi shook his head, "I'm not sure. I haven't been in the Eastern Palace all morning; I will know once I return."

"Understood. Please walk safely, Eunuch."

After speaking with Little Dezi, some time had passed. Jialin had just caught up with me; she had seen Little Dezi as well and remarked, "Little Xiao, you are truly impressive. You seem to know everyone around every master."

I smiled humbly, "It is only because I follow my master and see them often; you would recognize them too after a while."

"I don't have that ability. Even if I saw them and recognized them, they would never pay me any mind."

Seeing the bitterness on Jialin’s face, I urged, "Let’s go. Didn't you want to drink? I am here with you today, and I promise I will pay attention to you, alright?"

We went to Lingbo Hall together. Jialin produced two pots of wine, and I was surprised she had brought both. She smiled and asked, "Will you drink first, or shall I? My mistress said this is excellent wine; she only brings it out when the Emperor visits."

"You drink. I am worried that if I drink first, there won't be any left for you."

"We are good friends now; we should share our fortunes. How about this: I take a sip, and you take a sip. How is that?"

I nodded.

Jialin took a sip, then stuck out her tongue, gasping, "It's so spicy! My throat and tongue are burning. So this is what wine tastes like."

I took the pot. I had never tasted wine myself. People have curiosity, and I wanted to know what this drink that men loved so much tasted like. I figured one or two sips wouldn't hurt. I tilted my head back and took a gulp.

It was indeed fiery, and I felt as though tears were about to spring from my eyes. My throat burned as if a fire were raging inside. I turned away, unable to stop myself from coughing. When I turned back, I saw Jialin was already eating the pastries from the box. I wanted to stop her, but seeing how happy she looked—she lived such a hard life in the palace and perhaps rarely had such treats—I hadn't the heart to intervene. I would just have to find a way to explain it to Han Feiyue and get more from Yunqing tomorrow.

"Is it good?" I asked.

"It's delicious," Jialin said, nodding as she ate. Then, we resumed our pattern of taking turns drinking.

Neither of us had ever had alcohol, and we didn't know how strong it was. The first few sips didn't seem like much, but by the time we finished the first pot and sat on the floor chatting, my head began to feel heavy, and my vision started to blur.

Jialin started clamoring for the second pot, but I immediately stopped her. One pot had already brought us to this state; a second would surely leave us completely unconscious.

I still retained some sense of awareness, but Jialin had already leaned against me, her cheeks flushed, looking thoroughly intoxicated.

"Jialin, we must rest for a moment and then leave, so the masters don't come looking for us, do you understand?"

"Mm," Jialin murmured softly, her eyes closed. "Let’s have more, Little Xiao. Bottoms up."

I smiled helplessly; perhaps this was the only time Jialin was truly free of worries.

I rubbed my forehead and helped Jialin lean against a pillar, intending to stand up and walk a few steps to clear my head. But as I stood, my body swayed, and I couldn't keep my balance. The wine had a powerful aftereffect, or perhaps neither of us had any tolerance. I told myself I must never drink again.

Jialin rested against the pillar, and I staggered forward a few steps.

Just then, the palace gate was suddenly pushed open. I was startled, thinking it was just the wind, but when I looked toward the entrance, I saw a figure standing there.