Torture was applied.

Being suddenly called upon by Minghe, I felt a sense of foreboding. Nevertheless, it seemed I’d been granted a little time for now.

“Doesn’t Your Highness have two young eunuchs working in your palace? Surely you can’t expect the palace maids to do such heavy labor,” Minghe added.

Lady Zhang feigned a laugh. “I must have forgotten. I heard these two eunuchs were chosen by you yourself, Minghe. The Empress truly takes care of me in every way!”

Minghe bowed and replied, “Her Majesty only seeks to ease His Majesty’s burdens. When peace reigns in the harem, His Majesty, too, enjoys peace.”

“These days, the Empress hasn’t let His Majesty have much peace, has she? But now she suddenly remembers tranquility, isn’t that so, Yunqing?”

Yunqing glanced at Lady Zhang and gave a faint smile.

Minghe didn’t press the matter, saying instead, “It’s getting late. Why not go fetch the chrysanthemums now? This way, Your Highness can enjoy their bloom sooner. Once the weather turns, they’ll be gone.”

Lady Zhang adjusted the hairpin in her coiffure and said, “How unfortunate, Xiaoluzi is running an errand for me. Let Xiaoxiaozi go. Since he’s someone the Empress values, surely moving a few pots of chrysanthemums should be no trouble.”

Those potted chrysanthemums were set in compacted soil and placed in fine porcelain pots—each one was heavy. There were a few in the residence before, and carrying one was barely manageable; to carry two alone would be overwhelming. But I knew Lady Zhang was making things difficult for me on purpose. As a servant, what complaint could I possibly voice?

I said at once, “Your servant will obey.”

Lady Zhang added sarcastically, “Be careful. If you break one, even if I wish to shield you, the Empress certainly won’t forgive you.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I withdrew and followed Minghe towards the Empress’s Kunning Palace. Along the way, I pondered what purpose this summons could serve. In any case, it would not be anything good.

“Minghe greets Lord Long!” On the way, we encountered Long Zhan, who cut a dashing figure. Minghe saluted him, and I followed suit, bowing low.

“Hmm,” Long Zhan responded coolly, but when I looked up, his gaze landed on me.

“This eunuch seems unfamiliar,” he remarked, just as I thought the encounter would pass uneventfully.

Unfamiliar? As if! He clearly remembered me, yet now pretended amnesia. Did he think me blind?

“He’s a newcomer in Cuiwei Palace, Lord Long. I won’t keep you—I'm expected by the Empress.”

“Very well.”

I followed Minghe past Long Zhan, feeling his gaze linger on me. Long Zhan! Suddenly, something occurred to me.

When we reached Kunning Palace, Minghe led me inside. At the sight of the woman seated on the divan, I immediately dropped to my knees.

“Your servant greets the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years.”

“So you’re Xiaoxiaozi?” the Empress asked.

“Your servant, Xiaoxiaozi.”

The Empress nodded and signaled Minghe with a glance, who then walked over, seized my chin, and slapped me four times across the face—left, right, left, right. My head spun; my cheeks blazed with pain.

So it was trouble after all; I just hadn’t expected it to come so quickly.

“You worthless cur, do you know your crime?”

Kneeling, I saw a few drops of blood fall to the floor—Minghe’s hand was indeed heavy. Trembling, I replied, “Your Majesty, your servant does not know what crime he has committed. I beg Your Majesty to see clearly.”

“Minghe, he claims he doesn’t know his fault!”

Minghe replied at once, “Your servant understands.”

She immediately moved behind me, gripping my shoulder and jabbing something sharp into my lower back.

“Agh…” I cried out, collapsing onto the floor from the pain. Minghe did not relent, stabbing me several more times.

When she finally stopped, I begged for mercy, “Spare me, Your Majesty! I beg for mercy!”

“Do you realize your crime now?”

At first, I hadn’t wanted to mention yesterday’s events, hoping to play dumb. But since the Empress summoned me, it must be about that. She suffered humiliation from the Emperor, and now she was taking it out on me. At this point, not admitting guilt would only bring more suffering.

I could only say, “Your servant knows his crime.”

“Oh? And what crime is that?”

“I should not have told the Emperor yesterday that I saw nothing.”

“And what should you have said?”

I replied at once, “Spare me, Your Majesty. Though your servant spoke wrongly and failed to help Your Majesty, I have only just entered the palace and truly saw nothing. I dared not speak recklessly before the Emperor.”

“Minghe…” The Empress turned to her. “Did you not instruct him thoroughly yesterday?”

Minghe hesitated, then said, “Your servant forgot he was new to the palace and did not realize the identity of Eunuch He. It was my oversight.”

“So it is not entirely his fault.”

“Though not wholly his fault, Eunuch He is nevertheless his kinsman. Now that Eunuch He’s residence outside the palace has been raided, perhaps he knows more than he lets on.”

Minghe’s words dripped with malice. No doubt she wished to avenge her own humiliation before the Empress by implicating me.

“Do you know anything?” the Empress asked.

I hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, I know nothing. I would not dare deceive the Empress. Before entering the palace, I met Eunuch He only once; how could I know he had a residence outside?”

The Empress nodded. “That may be so. But what if I do not punish you?”

I immediately offered profuse thanks. “Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!”

She continued, “Don’t thank me too soon. Now that you serve in Cuiwei Palace, you must observe Lady Zhang closely. I do not wish her to win the Emperor’s favor again. You should know what to do.”

My heart clenched. The Empress had first punished me, then attempted to win me over, leaving me no room for resistance. I had just promised to help Lady Zhang gain the Emperor’s favor, yet now must also pledge loyalty to the Empress. How could I possibly please both sides? In the end, I could only choose one; to try otherwise would surely make enemies of both.

But what should I do?

“Empress, it seems Xiaoxiaozi is a most ungrateful servant!” Minghe’s eyes flashed with a sinister light as she addressed the Empress.

“If he cannot be used by me, what purpose does he serve?” The Empress stood, approached, and suddenly pressed a jade bracelet into my arms. “You wretched thing, how dare you steal from me!”

I cursed inwardly. To accuse someone, any excuse will do; even the Empress resorted to such means.

“How dare you! Men, drag him out and give him twenty strokes!”

Immediately, two eunuchs hauled me out, forced me over a bench, and brought down a thick plank across my buttocks with brutal force. Each blow was agony, piercing to the core.

With twenty strokes, I would be crippled if not dead.

Regret flooded me—if only I had agreed earlier.

I counted silently—nine strokes, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…

I couldn’t take it anymore. I slumped from the bench, nearly losing consciousness from the pain.

“Drag him up and continue! How dare you steal from the Empress!”

Rough hands pulled me up and bent me over the bench again. The eunuch raised the plank, but I immediately collapsed once more.

“Your Majesty, since he stole with his hand, why not cut off a finger? The pain will teach him a lesson he will not soon forget,” Minghe suggested.

“If we sever a finger, how will he serve Sister Bitong? A cripple is as good as dead.”

Minghe quickly flattered, “Your Majesty’s heart is truly kind. But losing a single finger won’t prevent him from working.”

“If that is so, then do it. And be sure not to dirty the courtyard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

My finger? They meant to cut off my finger?

No, I couldn’t allow it.

I watched Minghe approach, step by step, like a venomous serpent.

“No, Your Majesty, spare me! Please, have mercy!”

“Fetch the tools!” Minghe ordered coldly.

The eunuch was about to leave when he halted.

“What is all this commotion?”

A voice of authority sounded, and a dignified elderly woman entered, richly dressed.

It was the current Empress Dowager, Lu Ning.