Chapter 111: Who Are You Trying to Beat to Death?

When the young eunuch saw the displeasure on Yuan Zaichun’s face, his heart skipped a beat. Yet, he remained kneeling respectfully, head bowed, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Your Highness... the Princess... the Princess would not accept them. She even said she has no need for such things."

True to form, the eyes that had been downcast suddenly sharpened, swirling with a hint of rage. However, at the recollection of past events, that anger was forcibly suppressed.

"Your Highness?"

The young eunuch, already terrified out of his wits, shivered uncontrollably. He called out without daring to look up, seemingly hoping to ask how Yuan Zaichun wished to handle the matter.

For the legitimate heir to the throne to be slighted was one thing, but to be forced to find ways to curry favor afterward—it was easy to imagine how infuriated he felt inside.

"I am aware. You may go."

"Ah?"

The young eunuch seemed unable to believe his ears. Was he truly being let off the hook?

He dared not delay, immediately acknowledging the order and scrambling away, not daring to look back even once.

The young eunuch may have escaped with his life, but Yuan Zaichun could no longer sleep.

He straightened his bedding and leaned against the headboard, the book in his hands forgotten. He stared blankly at the quilt with hollow eyes.

Once, they had shared a bed. Although it had been for the sake of an alliance, after such a long time, who could say there was no affection?

Because of Bu Shengli, all of this had been destroyed.

Thinking of this, his grip tightened involuntarily, crushing the book until it was deformed.

Early the next morning, Qiao Qingyun received special permission from the Emperor to leave the palace for a walk. She wasted no time in tidying herself up, changed into plain clothes, and hurried to depart.

Who would have thought that a eunuch carrying a basin of cold water would come around the corner? Zhong Shi and Hong Ying instinctively reached out to pull Qiao Qingyun back, but it all happened too suddenly. With a splash, the water soaked Qiao Qingyun’s clothes.

"Princess!"

Qingluo was terrified, and Zhong Shi immediately draped his own outer robe over Qiao Qingyun, glaring coldly at the eunuch who was already kneeling on the ground, trembling in fear.

"Princess, spare me! Princess, spare me!"

"You fool! Do you not look where you are going?"

Zhong Shi reprimanded him coldly. Qiao Qingyun waved her hand, looking at her soaked clothes with a helpless sigh. "Forget it, forget it. Why scold him? It was not intentional. You go ahead, I will just change my clothes."

"Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Princess!"

The young eunuch kowtowed repeatedly. As he stood up and looked, he froze in place, the smile on his face impossible to hide. He exclaimed, "Crown Princess! It is you!"

Suddenly addressed as "Crown Princess," Qiao Qingyun paused in her tracks. Turning around, she discovered that the eunuch, smiling like a sunflower, was actually Yuanbao!

"It’s you? Yuanbao? Eh? Have you fully recovered? Are there any lingering effects?"

Hearing Qiao Qingyun’s concern, Yuanbao was overcome with excitement, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, no, this servant is perfectly fine. But... Milady... no, Princess, how is your health? This servant vaguely remembers you fainting?"

"Yes, that is correct, but I have fully recovered now. Where are you serving?"

Zhong Shi watched the two talk, felt the direction of the wind, and immediately stepped into position to shield Qiao Qingyun from the draft.

Yuanbao scratched his head in embarrassment, the basin in his hands trembling slightly. He said shamefully, "Because I had the plague, many masters were unwilling to employ me, so I went to the Laundry Bureau..."

"The Laundry Bureau?"

Although she had watched many palace dramas, the Laundry Bureau remained somewhat unfamiliar. She glanced at Qingluo and Hong Ying; since they had been running back and forth these past few days, they likely knew of it.

Hong Ying quickly whispered, "The Laundry Bureau is where the lowest-ranking servants and maids are sent; they are considered even lower than ordinary palace staff."

"Ah?"

Qiao Qingyun exclaimed in surprise. She turned to look at Yuanbao and, sure enough, saw many scars on his hands. She frowned. "Life is not easy there, is it? Qingluo, we do not have a head eunuch in our quarters, do we?"

"No, Qingluo is the head maid, and Hong Ying and Zhong Shi are the guards. We do not have a head eunuch yet."

"Hmm... In that case, Yuanbao, come and serve in my quarters. Wait—Zhong Shi, you wait here. I will take Qingluo and Hong Ying to change, and then we will take Yuanbao to the Laundry Bureau to inform them."

Zhong Shi nodded and reached out to pull the shawl tighter around Qiao Qingyun. "Very well. Princess, hurry, or you might catch a cold and be unable to leave the palace."

"Yes."

The three hurried off to change. Zhong Shi approached Yuanbao, who was gazing with deep gratitude in the direction Qiao Qingyun had left.

Zhong Shi did not care who he was; he had to set the ground rules first. He lowered his voice. "You had best be loyal to the Princess. Otherwise, I will surely kill you."

Yuanbao was startled, then nodded with great conviction. "Yes, please rest assured. This servant will serve the Princess with all his heart and strength."

Seeing that Yuanbao did not seem like someone who would lie, Zhong Shi paid him no more mind. Soon, Qiao Qingyun returned, having changed out of the white outfit into a blue robe. She smiled, "Lead the way. I will go and speak with your supervisor."

"Thank you, Princess."

The group changed direction, heading straight for the Laundry Bureau. Upon arriving at the entrance, the dilapidated state of the building made Qiao Qingyun extremely uncomfortable. "Is there no fear of this place collapsing?"

Looking at the long-neglected structure, with some parts already showing gaping holes, it hardly looked like a place fit for human habitation at first glance.

If not for the sound of voices coming from within, they would have thought they had come to the wrong place.

Yuanbao’s face turned red with embarrassment. "It was my lack of consideration to bring the Princess to such a place."

"Enough, enough. It is really too awkward. You must change! Every day it is 'sorry' this and 'sorry' that—you aren't annoyed, but I am," Qiao Qingyun said with feigned anger. Yuanbao was stunned. As a servant, wasn't that what he was supposed to do? Why was it considered bad when he did it for Qiao Qingyun?

"Don't just stand there like a fool, go in."

Qingluo urged. Yuanbao hurried to open the door, and the scene inside truly startled Qiao Qingyun.

There was actually a head matron beating a palace maid, along with several eunuchs who had collapsed from exhaustion.

They were used to such sights, but Yuanbao, seeing someone still beating another eunuch, rushed over and shielded him with his own body. "Stop hitting him, please stop! My brother is ill—if you must beat someone, beat me instead!"

"Brother?"

Qiao Qingyun was taken aback. Before she could react, the head eunuch shouted coldly, "Get lost! You are truly a nuisance. Be careful or I’ll beat you to death!"

"Who is it that you want to beat to death?"

A cold, clear female voice rang out. As everyone turned, Qiao Qingyun stood gracefully in the doorway. The head eunuch’s entire body trembled. He could not help but panic, and before he could even offer a greeting, a flash of murderous intent crossed Qiao Qingyun's eyes.

"Have you ever tasted this whip? Zhong Shi!"

"Yes!"