Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 255 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (155)

The young eunuch was named Willow Branch. He originally served in the cat and dog room, specifically to raise the pets of the nobles in the palace.

Later, somehow, he managed to be transferred to the Imperial Kitchen.

The imperial kitchen was a place rife with greasy food.

Besides the princes, there were also a few favored nobles who had their own small kitchens in their palaces, but the rest of them had to order meals from the imperial kitchen.

Everyone in this palace can be considered a noble person.

But this benefactor is not the same as any other benefactor...

Those who are shown on screen, those who are not, those who are favored, and those who are not favored.

Each number is recorded in the imperial kitchen.

The pampered ones eat and drink only fresh, sweet, top-quality, and the best.

But if they're not favored, then who knows what kind of junk they might be.

In this palace, there's nowhere to voice grievances, so if you want to live a better life, you have to bribe your way out.

The palace maids and eunuchs who came to collect the meals would give a few coins to the junior eunuchs who were carrying the meals, and the junior eunuchs would then pass the coins up to the senior eunuchs inside.

As the system of exploitation deepened, those who took the silver suffered greatly, while those in the imperial kitchen grew plump and strong.

Several senior eunuchs in the imperial kitchen could barely tie the belts on their clothes.

Those who can work here must have found a way in.

This young eunuch, named Willow Branch, was sold into the palace by his family. His family had fled from the west and entered the palace penniless, without any money or even a decent set of clothes.

In the cat and dog kennel, you rarely see important people, and it smells terrible all day long. Being with those animals, there's naturally not much to gain.

In just a few years, he managed to find his own way to be transferred to the Imperial Kitchen, which clearly shows he has some connections.

Paying for the money was essential, but where did he get the money from?

Having investigated this far, they found a place where they could continue their investigation...

If you investigate further, you will find that one of his acquaintances is a palace maid who came from the same place as him.

The palace maid often came to see him and sewed clothes and shoes for him by hand.

According to the eunuchs who were still serving in the cat and dog room, the clothes worn by that palace maid were made of better material than those worn by ordinary palace maids.

I heard that he served a favored concubine!

She didn't mind that the little eunuch's clothes were always being scratched and torn by cats and dogs.

She patiently helped him mend the wounds time and time again.

She would also occasionally use her own allowance to buy him a new piece of clothing...

But after the young eunuch was transferred to the imperial kitchen, they never saw that palace maid again.

I don't know how things are now, but the little eunuch hasn't contacted them again.

"Now that they've made it big, they naturally don't want to associate with us filthy creatures anymore..." an old eunuch who had spent half his life in the cat and dog shed said sourly.

Inside the palace, every maid and eunuch was registered and recorded. If one were to look into it, one would surely be able to find out.

The people in the inner court quickly found the palace maid, who was indeed serving the favored concubine.

She was a palace maid in Consort Rong's courtyard, mainly responsible for managing and tidying up Consort Rong's clothes.

She also had a pair of skillful hands, and Consort Rong would often summon her to her palace to help her comb her hair and dress up.

But this palace maid was mild-mannered and timid, while Consort Rong's place was a very lively and bustling place.

There are many people who are eager to show their faces in front of the Empress.

This little palace maid was quiet and had no temper, so naturally no one paid her any attention.

She faced scorn and jealousy, and even the old nannies, fearing that her skillful hands would allow her to replace them in the position of Consort Rong, kept a close watch on her, so her life was far from comfortable.

There was no prohibition in the palace from eunuchs and palace maids living together.

If they can find a partner to share their food with, as long as it's not too unsightly or excessive, no one will bother them.

Judging from what others said, one could guess that the young palace maid and the eunuch were probably a couple.

The money that young eunuch received to be transferred from the cat and dog shed to the imperial kitchen must have been paid by this palace maid.

After all, the rewards one receives for serving Consort Rong are much greater than those received elsewhere.

When Consort Rong was favored, she was very extravagant. Sometimes, she would even give her servants gold melon seeds.

That little palace maid was named Yuegui, and she too was a woman with a tragic fate.

Unable to support her numerous children, the family sold her and her youngest sister into the palace.

His youngest sister died the year after she entered the palace. She fell ill, but no one would treat her. Several of her fellow palace maids who had entered the palace with her took turns caring for her, but she still died of her illness in the end.

She was left all alone, struggling and climbing her way up in the palace. Because of her fair and delicate features, she was chosen to enter the empress's palace.

She was very skillful and diligent because she took care of her younger siblings when she was little. That's why she was kept on by the nannies in Consort Rong's palace.

Life was tough, but she was still able to survive. However, she had no hope. Other palace maids hoped to have the opportunity to leave the palace after the age of twenty-five, but she did not want to leave because she would have no one to rely on after leaving the palace.

Since entering the palace, her family has lost contact with her and doesn't know if she is dead or alive, where she has gone, or if they simply don't remember her.

Once, when I went to the cat and dog room to choose a puppy for Consort Rong, I came across Willow Branch.

They were from the same hometown and got to know each other while talking.

After that, she had a companion in the palace. Seeing that Liu Tiao was shy and down-to-earth and treated her warmly, she took out her own money to try to get him a better place.

After the willow branches entered the imperial kitchen, life did indeed become a little easier.

Although he was still bullied by the chief eunuch, things were still better than before.

The two couldn't meet often, only occasionally managing to sneak a brief encounter...

But in each other's hearts, they both found peace of mind.

But this peaceful life didn't last long.

With Consort Rong suddenly falling out of favor, life has become difficult for the palace maids and eunuchs in her palace.

The palace maids and eunuchs all tried to find their own way out, but it wasn't as simple as just going to or leaving Consort Rong's place.

In the past, many people from their palace, like Consort Rong, acted arrogantly when they were outside.

Now that they are in trouble, many people want to kick them while they're down.

Even those who had never bullied others were ignored, but now they were all implicated...

Laurel had no intention of leaving, after all, she was used to staying here and didn't want to move easily.

Whether Consort Rong is favored or out of favor, as long as she behaves herself, she will not suffer any major misfortune.

But things didn't go as planned. Just because he didn't cause trouble didn't mean he wouldn't run into trouble.

The palace officials found Yuegui and brought her to the Censorate for questioning.

Yuegui was terrified and at a loss, not knowing what had happened. When asked if she knew Liutiao, a hint of sorrow appeared on her face: "This servant knows him."

The chief eunuch of the inner court asked him, "Did he say anything to you the other day?"

Laurel curled up in fear and shook her head: "No."

"You'd better tell the truth! Otherwise, you'll lose your life! This matter involves palace secrets, speak quickly!" A fierce-looking eunuch shouted at Yuegui.

Yuegui's face was deathly pale, but her expression still held a hint of confusion: "This servant really knows nothing! This servant hasn't been in contact with him for quite some time..."

Admiral Lin sat in the corner, his face dark and his expression unreadable. His venomous snake-like eyes scrutinized Yuegui from head to toe, as if trying to determine whether she was lying.

Laurel haltingly recounted the whole story.

Since Consort Rong fell out of favor, the palace gates were closed for a period of time due to the Seventh Prince's affair. During that time, the entire Consort Rong's palace could only survive on supplies sent from outside.

However, because of Consort Rong, most of what was sent were leftovers.

They didn't even have a decent cotton-padded coat for winter, and the entire palace was in dire straits...

Yuegui's hands were covered in chilblains, and her fingers were so swollen they couldn't straighten.

At first, Willow Branch came a few times, secretly bringing some things to Laurel, but it was a drop in the ocean, and it was unclear when it would end.

One of the people living with Yuegui had gotten transferred to another place through connections with the head eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Yuegui asked if she should also try to influence the transfer.

As it turned out, the eunuch who came from there took a fancy to Yuegui's appearance and wanted her to be with him. Yuegui was annoyed and refused, but the eunuch threatened her viciously: "I'll torture you to death here later!"

Laurel told Willow about this, but Willow couldn't help and could only worry along with her.

Later, Liutiao stopped coming over often, and Yuegui couldn't contact him either, so she had to ask someone to send him the sachet she made.

But the man returned the sachet, saying: "Willow branches are really thriving these days..."

Tell Laurel to stop thinking about it.

Yuegui never imagined that she would spend money to transfer him to the imperial kitchen, hoping to make his life easier.

In the end, he ended up like this, but there was nothing he could do but weep in secret in the palace, feeling listless all day long.

He even felt that he might die in Consort Rong's palace.

Fortunately, His Highness the First Prince showed mercy and punished those who disrespected Consort Rong. He also allowed the Consort to visit the Seventh Prince, which made things a little easier in the palace, and Yuegui was able to go out and about.

Although Yuegui was just a lowly palace maid, she had backbone.

Having been treated like this by Liutiao, how could she possibly lower herself to beg him?

So they never saw each other again, and Yuegui was not transferred to another palace. Her life is now relatively peaceful.

"When did he become so heartless towards you?" Admiral Lin asked calmly.

Yuegui was terrified and trembled as she spoke of a month, which was the time when Liutiao went to serve in the emperor's palace.

Perhaps they've become successful and look down on laurels now.

"Now he's in our hands. If you tell a single lie, we'll skin you both alive and hang you up together as a pair of estranged lovers." Commander Lin's eyes, with their sparse whites, gleamed with a fierce light.

"Keep a close watch on her for us. Don't allow anyone to approach her. If she dies, keep the door shut and die with her!" Admiral Lin ordered ominously as he left.

Ji Shuqin frowned as he listened to what Admiral Lin had to say.

"It's probably because of this little palace maid that the brat refused to speak."

"Is that palace maid safe now?"

"This servant has people guarding it; there will be absolutely no mishap," Admiral Lin said confidently.

"Such a filthy thing has happened... There are even cases of women being forced into submission in the palace!" Ji Shuqin's expression was filled with utter disgust when he heard about the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial forcing Yuegui to submit to him.

"Does that palace maid know about this?"

"This servant did not tell her, intending to interrogate her further, bringing the palace maid before her. If she did not tell the truth, then..."

Before Admiral Lin could finish speaking, Ji Shuqin interrupted him: "No."

Ji Shuqin felt that if he threatened the lives of those he cared about to force them to comply, how would he be any different from the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial or those who forced Liu Tiao to do things? He was leaving them no way to survive.

"Bring them up." Ji Shuqin said, then shook his head: "Let's wait until tomorrow. We'll have my third brother come to the palace with us tomorrow."

Ji Shumin received the letter from Ji Shuqin, which explained the cause and effect, and remained silent.

After learning about what happened in the palace, Lu Liruan also felt that there must be something fishy about it.

Now that I have received this letter from Ji Shumin and read it, I don't know what to say.

Who is right and who is wrong in this situation?

The eunuch named Willow was wrong, but his mistake was that he was forced into a corner and had no way to resist, yet he did indeed do something wrong.

"What should we do about these absurd things?" Lu Liruan seemed to be asking Ji Shumin, but also seemed to be asking herself.

Ji Shumin sighed softly, "I don't know. Every day is absurd, and everyone has lingering attachments to the past. In the end, can the affairs of the world be reconciled?"

When Yuegui was brought before the prince for the first time, she didn't even dare to raise her head.

But when she saw the willow branch, which looked like a blood-soaked gourd and was barely alive, being brought up, she burst into tears and tried to rush over, but was held down by someone.

Willow Branch, already unable to open its eyes, thought its life was about to end, but then it heard the voice of Laurel.

He squinted his eyes with difficulty, his voice hoarse and cracking: "Your Highness, everything was done by this servant alone! It had nothing to do with anyone else, she knew nothing! Your Highness, please tear this servant to pieces! This servant confesses! Confesses!"

"Did the person who ordered you to use this palace maid to threaten you?" Ji Shuqin asked him coldly.

Willow twigs froze for a moment, then collapsed to the ground like noodles, their faces filled with despair and utterly lifeless.

He dragged Yuegui into this; even if Yuegui knew nothing, she would still be…

“I am not doing the same thing as them, threatening you with this palace maid’s life. Rather, I am bringing her to you now and can guarantee that she will not be in danger. If you confess…” Ji Shuqin left the rest of his sentence unfinished.

I'll give you a quick and painless death.

He couldn't say that.

"What...what have you done?!" Laurel asked, trembling. "How could you have become like this..."

Willow Twig opened his mouth, and looked at Ji Shuqin, a last glimmer of light appearing in his cloudy eyes: "Your Highness, is it possible to spare her from suffering?"

"can."

Willow Branch, looking sadly at the laurel, lowered its head and said, "Very well, this servant believes Your Highness the Crown Prince. This servant has long heard of Your Highness's benevolence and kindness. This servant is willing to speak, please have mercy..."

Ji Shumin raised his chin, signaling someone to take Yuegui away first.

After Yuegui left, Liutiao spoke with difficulty, "They sent me to the Emperor's bedroom to look for something."

"What are you looking for?"

"Find the Emperor's... seal."