Chapter 23: 惢心
惢心 is Ruyi's personal maid. She is shrewd, smart, good at observing people's words and expressions, and loyal to Ruyi. She has two assists, but she is ultimately no match for Ruyi's love-mindedness. She is first imprisoned in the cold palace for three years, during which she ruined her body. Later, she proves Ruyi's innocence, breaks her leg, and exhausts all her value before being released from the palace.
惢心 must be resentful. She took care of Ruyi loyally for three years in the cold palace and did all the dirty and tiring work, so that Ruyi could leisurely grow flowers and drink tea.
When did it start?
It might be because Ruyi knew that she was not feeling well, but when she had the chance to contact the outside world, she did not prescribe medicine for her, but instead asked for a few packets of flower seeds. Although she still helped Ruyi cultivate the land, dig holes and water the plants, she could not hide her disappointment.
It may also be that after she had gone through so much trouble to escape from the cold palace, she knew that she had reached the age to leave the palace, and although Imperial Doctor Jiang begged her several times, she remained indifferent.
After she broke her leg in the Ministry of Punishment in order to prove Ruyi's innocence and managed to escape alive, Ruyi despised her in every way and let her leave the palace only after she knew that her leg would be difficult to heal.
The wedding outside the palace also earned Ruyi fame. After all, it was rare in the palace to find a master who was so good to his personal maid.
She was supported by someone and limped out, enduring the excruciating pain, but she had to look grateful. At that moment, she resented this cannibalistic harem.
Because she suffered too much in her early years, her body was damaged. Even though her husband was an imperial physician, her health only lasted for ten years. She passed away at the age of 42.
If possible, she didn't want to be so loyal to Ruyi anymore. She wasn't worth it.
……
*
"惢心, clean up the house first so that we can have a place to stay at night."
Ruyi found a clean stone block and sat down. There was no worry on her face and she gave the instructions in a calm and composed manner.
Zhang Shan placed the five or six packages on a clean stone pier and said, "Master, please take a rest first. I will go in and pack them for you."
惢心 and A Ruo were both senior palace maids and had never done any rough work. They took out two handkerchiefs from their arms and swept while covering their noses, slowly. A lot of dust was raised and when the wind blew, it all flew towards Ruyi.
Ruyi was also choked and coughed, "惢心, go get me a basin of water to wash, I'm covered in dust and it's very uncomfortable."
Ruyi is being pretentious again.
Zhang Shan: "Master, wait a minute, I'll look for a basin."
This is the cold palace, not a department store. How can you get everything you want?
When Zhang Shan left, the sky gradually darkened. Ruyi listened to the crows on the palace wall, and the more she listened, the more creepy it became. "惢心,惢心, are you back?"
At this moment, she forgot to maintain her calm demeanor and, without caring about her luggage, walked in the direction Zhang Shan had left.
After Ruyi left, Zhang Shan returned to where Ruyi was, picked up the package, threw it into the system space, and then left in another direction.
On the first day in the cold palace, Ruyi must be taught a lesson.
When it got dark, Ruyi didn't know where she was and saw a silver-haired old woman standing on a dry well, staggering.
"Ah!!! Ghost!!"
Ruyi rolled her eyes and fainted.
When she woke up again, Ruyi's face was pale, "惢心, why am I lying on the ground?"
"My dear, I found the basin, but I couldn't find you when I came back. I looked around and found you here. I couldn't carry you. This is the only way. I am useless."
Although Ruyi was a little unhappy, her face was gentle and considerate, "I don't blame you, it's me who implicated you."
When the master and servant found the house again, they discovered that their luggage was missing, and the food sent from the palace was either rotten or smelly. Eating this kind of food would sooner or later cause health problems.
"It doesn't matter. We can just boil a pot of water and soak it in water and it will be ready to eat. We still have food to eat, but the disaster victims outside the city are still hungry."
"The Lord is kindhearted and never forgets the sufferings of the people of the world."
You are destined to be the Emperor's wife and the Queen Mother.
Not to mention that Empress Fucha often complained that Ruyi was meddling in other people's affairs, even Zhang Shan felt that she did not put herself in the right position.
Ruyi originally wanted to ask Zhang Shan to clean up the yard, and find a chance to plant some vegetable seeds in the future to solve the problem of food and clothing, but they haven’t even cleaned up their living place yet. If they don’t clean up, they will have to sleep on the floor again tonight.
Zhang Shan was still leisurely, waiting for the green hat that the emperor would send her.
After a while, the door of the cold palace opened, and a seven-foot-tall, handsome man came in. Seeing two beautiful women, one elegant and calm, the other weak and pitiful, Ling Yunche felt pity for them.
"I am Ling Yunche, the cold palace guard. I am honored to meet the Empress Xian."
"I am no longer the Empress Xian, but a commoner in the cold palace. Guard Ling is too polite."
Ruyi is very good at talking, and Ling Yunche is also very understanding. Seeing that Zhang Shan has not yet cleaned up, he actively took over the broom from Zhang Shan.
With Ling Yunche's help, the two of them moved into a clean and tidy house at night. Ruyi's room was very large and bright, while Zhang Shan lived in a small house. She patched the rat holes with mud and repaired the doors and windows with wooden boards.
Li Yu and Jiang Yubin came to visit Zhang Shan from time to time and brought her delicious food. The bedding on her bed was thick and soft, so Zhang Shan did not suffer from hunger or cold.
But it’s not necessarily the case for Ruyi. She wanted to ask Zhang Shan to warm her bed at night, but when she smelled the sweat on Zhang Shan’s body, she closed her mouth again.
With Ling Yunche's help, Ruyi grows vegetables and flowers in the cold palace and finds her own mood. After spending a long time with Ling Yunche, there is an ambiguous atmosphere between the two. Ling Yunche gives Ruyi a pearl hairpin, and Ruyi gives Ling Yunche boots...
Without Zhang Shan testing the poison on herself and Jiang Yubi coming to check her pulse from time to time, Ruyi's poisoning frequency increased significantly. Her face became sunken and sallow, her hair became dry and frizzy, and she looked ten years older than when she came.
Ever since Ling Yunche helped Ruyi grow vegetables and cook, she has not been poisoned again, and the poison in her body has been slowly eliminated by the antidote sent by the emperor.
The Queen and Concubine Gao thought of other ways.
At night, Ruyi was awakened by the pain. She called Zhang Shan to light a candle, and saw a snake's tail disappearing in the corner, and there were two tooth marks on Ruyi's leg.
Zhang Shan called Ling Yunche and wanted him to help call the imperial physician. Unexpectedly, Ling Yunche took drugs after a disagreement. By the time Zhang Shan called Jiang Yubin, Ling Yunche's face had turned blue and black.
"I came too late, and your leg cannot be saved."
Ruyi's face was pale and her tears fell silently. She looked so pitiful, but except for Ling Yunche who was poisoned to death, no one present felt any sympathy for her.
The emperor still found out about Ruyi being bitten by a poisonous snake. He originally wanted to use this as an excuse to take Ruyi out of the cold palace, but when he learned that Ling Yunche kissed Ruyi's calf, he took back the step he had taken.
Li Yu noticed the emperor's coldness towards Ruyi. He knew that due to his physical defect, he could not give惢心 happiness, so he suggested letting惢心 go.
The emperor thought that it was too late for惢心 to protect her master, so he agreed.
Zhang Shan left the palace, married Jiang Yubin, gave birth to two sons and two daughters, and lived with Jiang Yubin for the rest of her life.
And Ruyi died in the cold palace.