Huang Zixia followed Li Shubai into the carriage back to the Prince of Kui’s mansion. Throughout the journey, Li Shubai remained silent, neither speaking nor sparing her a glance. Huang Zixia felt immense pressure, forcing herself to sit on the low stool while wondering whether she or someone else had offended this master. If it was someone else, why was he showing this face to her? If it was her, what had she done to offend…
While she was pondering, the storm-clouded master finally spoke: “What help?”
“Ah?” Huang Zixia’s heart skipped a beat. She naturally dared not mention Zhang Xingying’s matter, and hurriedly said, “It’s… a trivial matter, so I didn’t dare trouble Your Highness and only discussed it with Zhou Ziqin. Since he could help me resolve it, there was no need to disturb Your Highness.”
Seeing her expression of clearly having no intention to tell him, Li Shubai coldly said, “It doesn’t matter, I don’t have the spare time to concern myself with you anyway.”
Huang Zixia breathed a sigh of relief, though clearly sensing his displeasure, so she remained tense waiting for him to continue.
Unexpectedly, he didn’t speak again for the rest of the journey, only reviewing official documents on the small table. He read extremely quickly, scanning ten lines at a glance, the sound of turning pages making a soft rustling sound, truly not even interested in lifting his eyelashes to glance at her once.
As Huang Zixia breathed her sigh of relief, she glanced at those foreign characters above that looked like heavenly script, thinking they must be Tibetan, and couldn’t help but feel solemn respect.
The journey felt like sitting on needles until they reached the prince’s mansion, where Jing Yu, Jing Xu, and others were already at the gate waiting for instructions.
“Call Jing Yi over.” He only dropped this sentence before heading straight for the Yubing Pavilion.
Huang Zixia finally breathed easier, tiptoeing back a few steps, preparing to return to her quarters, but Li Shubai, as if having eyes in the back of his head, without turning around dropped two words: “Follow me.”
She looked around and realized he must be talking to her, so she had no choice but to wipe the sweat from her palms and follow, while thinking to herself: Huang Zixia, oh Huang Zixia, since you chose this difficult master to serve, no matter what, you can only follow him now, through water or fire, as long as he commands, just obey!
Jing Yu had already arranged everything – the Yubing Pavilion was complete with tea and refreshments, incense rising in wisps from the burner, and fine bamboo blinds lowered to block most of the daylight from outside.
Li Shubai washed his hands in the golden basin held by the maid, then accepted the fine white linen towel to dry them, his movements unhurried, showing no trace of emotion. Huang Zixia stood to the side, attending to Li Shubai as he reviewed official documents.
Finally, Jing Yi arrived, and she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling it was truly difficult to bear this pressure alone.
“How long has Yang Chonggu been here?” Li Shubai asked straightforwardly.
Jing Yi answered without hesitation: “Thirty-seven days in total, just over a month.”
“Monthly salary hasn’t been paid yet?”
“The mansion follows the rule of paying wages on the fifteenth. Last time when monthly wages were paid, since he had just arrived, he was only given two taels of silver as a welcome gift.”
The welcome silver – Huang Zixia had naturally followed custom and hosted two tables of wine to get acquainted with the mansion staff, spending it all already. She understood these social customs, and couldn’t not understand them. Huang Zixia complained helplessly in her heart: being a small eunuch in this prince’s mansion isn’t easy! Although food, lodging, and clothing are provided, after escaping from Shu, she only flattens her gold hairpin to exchange for money as travel expenses to come to the capital, and the little money remaining is lost when he kicks her into the lotus pond. Otherwise, why would she have to always mooch meals off others when going out? Being able to buy a bowl of soup noodles was already her limit!
Jing Yi continued: “Recently I wanted to ask Your Highness’s instructions on how to determine Yang Chonggu’s rank in the mansion?”
Here it comes, discussing her treatment! Huang Zixia suddenly felt a flutter of excitement in her heart. From childhood, she had never lacked money, as her parents would give her pocket money every few days, accumulating it until she became quite wealthy. But she had always envied her brother, the yamen runners, constables, and captains. Because back then, she was a woman. Though she helped the yamen solve many mysterious cases, she still could never become one of them, could never report for duty on time, receive monthly pay, and become a fixed position in an orderly operating organization. And now, she had finally become someone with a stable occupation who could support herself this life without relying on family or husband, who could receive a monthly salary… a eunuch. Though it didn’t sound very good,… a eunuch could still be considered an official, right?
Li Shubai’s gaze shifted slightly from the official documents, giving Huang Zixia an almost imperceptible glance. Huang Zixia saw in his eyes a trace of schadenfreude that seemed to say “waited so long and finally got this opportunity.”
Her heart immediately rose with an ominous premonition.
She heard Li Shubai say: “Everything in the prince’s mansion emphasizes fairness and justice, otherwise what use would there be in establishing the mansion’s rules?”
Jing Yi nodded: “Your Highness speaks true. Then, shall we temporarily set Yang Chonggu as a lowest-rank eunuch, with all daily allowances as usual, and consider promotion after the new year based on performance?”
“Approved.” Li Shubai said lightly as if being strictly principled and merely adopting others’ suggestions.
Huang Zixia’s heart immediately rose with foreboding, and she couldn’t help asking Jing Yi: “May I ask Public Official Yi, what are the treatment conditions for lowest-rank eunuchs in the prince’s mansion?”
Jing Yi looked at her, revealing a sympathetic expression, but didn’t speak.
Li Shubai continued reviewing documents at his desk, not raising his head, saying in an even voice: “First, without permission from others, lowest-rank eunuchs may not interrupt, speak out, or make inquiries. Violators will be fined one month’s salary. Second, the treatment of lowest-rank eunuchs is in Part Four, Article Thirty-One of the mansion rules. Since you don’t know this, it shows that though I ordered you to memorize the mansion rules, you failed to do so. Disobeying orders will be fined three months’ salary. Third, mansion eunuchs may not privately give or receive from outsiders or maintain social relationships. Violators will be fined one year’s salary.”
Jing Yi gave her an even more sympathetic look, indicating he could offer no help regarding her losing sixteen months of salary with one sentence.
Huang Zixia was dumbfounded.
For the first time, she felt enormous doubt about her resolute decision to throw everything away and rely on this person before her!
This master who bullied others with his power took revenge for the smallest grievances and acted arrogantly was not a good master!
The atmosphere in the Yubing Pavilion became even heavier.
Jing Yi wisely took his leave immediately.
Huang Zixia held out her hand to Li Shubai: “Give me that half-silver ingot.”
Li Shubai raised his eyes to look at her: “Found some new clues?”
“No,” she said stiffly, “I’m penniless, so poor I can’t even afford a bowl of soup noodles when going out to investigate cases. If I faint in the street, I’m afraid I won’t be able to serve Your Highness anymore. Plus when I’m hungry I tend to think wild thoughts and can’t investigate cases properly. So for the sake of solving this case early, I’ve decided – to spend the evidence.”
Li Shubai looked at her, the corner of his lips curving slightly, a trace of an ambiguous smile. He unhurriedly pulled open a drawer and took out a small token, tossing it on the table: “Take this.”
Huang Zixia picked it up and found it was a small gold token, about half a palm in size. The front was covered in kui dragon patterns, with “Prince of Kui of Great Tang” engraved in relief. The back had “Made by Imperial Command” in large characters, along with the Emperor’s Treasure seal and text indicating it was imperially commissioned and made.
Huang Zixia held it with three fingers, looking at Li Shubai in confusion.
But Li Shubai just continued looking down at his documents, saying indifferently: “This token is unique in the world and valid in all government offices and prefectures. Keep it safe, losing it would be very troublesome.”
“Eh?” Huang Zixia was still hesitant, not understanding his intention.
Seeing she still didn’t understand, he raised his voice slightly and said: “You are my person. From now on, when you encounter any matter, you are not allowed to seek help from others. In this world, is there anything I cannot resolve for you?”
Huang Zixia gazed at his downturned face, that calm and indifferent countenance revealing not a trace of emotion. His voice, clear as ice striking jade, carried not a ripple of feeling, his elegant and noble bearing not the least bit disordered – clearly this was the Prince of Kui Li Shubai she was familiar with, yet here in the Yubing Pavilion, in the sunlight filtered through the bamboo blinds into strands of gold, in the near and far sound of cicadas, in the strange warmth stirring in her heart at this moment, something seemed different.
Perhaps because she had stood motionless for too long, he finally raised his head to look at her. Before he could speak, her hand slipped and that gold token slid down, making a soft “ding” as it hit the blue brick floor, breaking the current silence.
She hurriedly squatted down to pick it up, while secretly taking a deep breath before tremblingly standing up.
Li Shubai looked at her and asked: “What, not satisfied?”
“No, no, I just… am overwhelmed by the honor.” The faint pink flush that spread across her jade-white cheeks was like viewing peach blossoms through a curtain, a hazy color rendered in mist.
His gaze lingered on her for a long while, finding the official documents in his hands tedious and tasteless. He put down that stack of papers and stood up to walk to the window, looking at the sky outside.
The vast sky was boundless, as blue as sapphire. Some clouds thin as gauze were lightly brushed across the heights, so low they seemed almost within reach.
He suddenly felt dazed, as if these clouds had also been painted into his typically empty life. Like a girl clear and bright as a May sky, who one day unexpectedly crashed into his destiny with an unprepared posture.
From then on, whether facing each other or entangled – but for someone like him, it would be better to part ways and forget each other in this vast world.
He raised his hand, as if the May sky outside was too bright at this moment, hurting his eyes. He turned around, looking at Huang Zixia before him from within the backlight, saying: “This token is temporarily lent to you, we’ll discuss it again after this case is over.”
Huang Zixia nodded in agreement, then looked at the gold token in her hand with a troubled expression, carefully asking: “Your Highness, may I ask something?”
He looked at her.
“Um… do the large and small restaurants, peddlers, and common people in the capital recognize this Prince of Kui token?”
He made a questioning sound from his nose: “Hmm?”
“That is… what I mean is…” She wore an expression of great difficulty speaking, hesitated for a long while, but still finally asked, “Can I use this to get credit at the capital’s restaurants, pastry shops, butcher shops, and peddler stalls?”
At these words, even someone like Li Shubai’s mouth twitched slightly. He glared at her, indicating unwillingness to discuss such vulgar questions with her, turned to sit on the nearby couch, and pointed to the opposite side.
Huang Zixia obediently knelt and sat before him – with this ruthless character who had deducted sixteen months of her salary in three sentences, how could she not obey?
He poured himself a cup of tea and slowly said: “What I’m about to say is of great importance, so I didn’t speak of it in front of Zhou Ziqin. But I think, if you are to investigate this case, you must know – this matter must have an enormous connection to the current case.”