Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 31

Firstly, I was extremely hungry, and secondly... I needed to shut up quickly; I didn't want to talk to this woman anymore!

"Oh my," Pang Zhangcan laughed, "You've got some strength." He paused, then continued, "Those two old hags, their breath stinks, their feet stink, their crotches stink. How can you, a clean person like you, sleep with them? There's clutter everywhere else, and it's hard to clean it all up in a short time... As for A-Cuo, I trust her. Don't let her small size and slightly simple-minded appearance fool you; she'll never fall for your men's tricks." He put his arm around Li Ji's shoulder: "Come on, let's eat inside."

A-Cuo's dwelling was not far from the door. The room was very small; in modern terms, "the first thing you see upon entering is a kang (heated brick bed)." Of course, in those days there were no kangs, and she couldn't afford a couch either. A straw mat was simply laid on the wooden floor, with bedding and miscellaneous items piled on one side, and a small low table on the other. There was nothing else on the table except a palm-sized bronze mirror and an oil lamp. A-Cuo lit the lamp with a flint and steel, and then used her pinky fingernail to trim the wick. The lamplight was dim and barely visible.

Li Ji ate his way through the food, stuffing coarse flatbread into his mouth and washing it down with some unknown hot soup, as if he were a demon reincarnated. Pang Zhangchu clapped his hands and said, "You're eating well. You'll have more energy if you eat more." He then turned to A'Cuo and instructed, "If that's not enough, go and get Zhili a few more flatbreads."

A-Cuo was stunned for a moment, then shook his head vigorously. Pang Zhang-Chan frowned and said, "I saw several pancakes a while ago, how come they're all gone? Could someone have stolen them again?"

Li Ji sat cross-legged on the mat, placing the food plate between his legs and stuffing cakes into his mouth. A-Cuo, however, simply stood to the side, head down, staring motionlessly at the dim lamplight.

Pang Zhangcan seemed to be able to guess what A-Cuo was thinking. He frowned slightly, clicked his tongue, and said, "Alright, alright, hurry up and finish eating, blow out the lamp and rest... Don't be so precious, I'll have someone add some more oil for you tomorrow." Then he sat down next to Li Ji, deliberately leaning close, and continued to chatter on and on about the situation in the courtyard—

"The latrine is in the southeast corner of the wall. The toilet paper is placed in the grass, so don't lose it... There's a water vat in the yard where you can wash your face and rinse your mouth, but don't let it get dirty... You must get up at dawn tomorrow..."

Only after Li Ji had finished the bread and drunk all the soup—though he was only half full—did Chef Pang leave. A-Cuo immediately blew out the lamp, snatched the utensils from Li Ji's arms, and went to the kitchen to wash them. Li Ji returned to the courtyard and, by the moonlight, carefully looked around—

The place was not small, but there were two walls in the middle, dividing the courtyard into three parts—he dared not climb over the walls to explore for the time being. Specifically, in this small courtyard near the gate, there was a row of kitchens along the west wall, an outhouse in the southeast corner, and north of the outhouse, there were only three low huts—including the one he would be sharing with Acuo tonight.

Apart from a little light in the kitchen—A-Cuo was tidying up the dishes—everything else was pitch black, with only the cold glow of the stars and moon. Li Ji jumped up and looked across the wall, but it wasn't very bright there either. He guessed that the palace maids were exhausted from the day and would have to get up early to work the next day, so they had all gone to bed as soon as it got dark, and no one had lit any lamps; the rooms that were still lit probably belonged to the three people in charge.

Li Ji couldn't help but groan inwardly—I thought life in the Luoyang Palace would be so good, at least not inferior to the Tang Dynasty's temporary residence in Ding'an, but who would have thought that these low-ranking palace maids would live such a miserable life... The most important thing is that it's inconvenient. How are they supposed to go to the toilet in the dark?

He squeezed into the kitchen and saw A-Cuo tidying up things by the embers in the stove. Li Ji bowed to her and asked, "May I borrow a light?" A-Cuo hesitated for a moment, then bent down and pulled a half-burnt piece of firewood from the stove, handing it to him with one hand.

Using the dim light of the fire, Li Ji not only ran to the outhouse but also found a broken tile in the grass by the wall. He sharpened the side of the tile on the ground and hid it in his pocket. When he returned to the dormitory, A-Cuo was already lying down wrapped in a thin blanket, with a patched blanket spread out beside him, presumably for Li Ji.

Li Ji stomped out the firewood at the door before taking off his shoes and entering the house, closing the door behind him—there wasn't even a latch! He only took off his outer garment before crawling into bed. Because the room was cramped, and one side was piled with miscellaneous items—probably some changes of clothes—it was difficult to get away from A-Cuo, making it practically like sleeping in a double bed. Li Ji couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable; although he was exhausted, his mind was racing, and he couldn't fall asleep at all.

He had basically gotten used to the daily routines of the time, but he had never gone to bed this early before. Usually, he would spend an hour or two discussing state affairs and judging people with Li Bi before going to bed. Moreover, being deep in the lion's den, with unpredictable fortune and an uneasy mind, he felt even more awake.

Unable to resist striking up a conversation with Acuo, she asked, "Your name is Acuo? My name is An Zhili... What's your last name?"

The room was quiet, and there was no response at all. Li Ji couldn't help but wonder, "Are you mute?" He paused, then added, "If you really are mute, then kick me."

A-Cuo rolled over in the opposite direction, pulled the blanket tighter around herself, but made no other movement.

Chapter Fourteen, The Pitiful Palace Maid

Early in the morning, Manager Pang first led Li Ji to pay respects to the other two leaders—Manager Yang and Manager Lü. Manager Yang was indeed a white-haired palace maid, leaning listlessly against a low table, seemingly unwilling to engage with anyone; Manager Lü was about the same age as Manager Pang, but her demeanor was quite dignified. She first inquired about the situation, then encouraged Li Ji a few words, and finally instructed: "Let Manager Pang assign you tasks, and you must not shirk your responsibilities."

Just then, two old eunuchs returned, pushing loads of rice and firewood. Li Ji examined them closely and, as Manager Pang had said, the two were quite slovenly, their clothes stained and seemingly unwashed for a long time. They didn't look very old, probably only in their early forties, but they both looked lifeless and had no energy whatsoever.

It makes sense, considering that the cooking department is the lowest-ranking among the six departments. If someone is over forty years old and is still assigned to the cooking department, theoretically they have no chance of rising to prominence. So they just want to get a full meal and drift through life waiting to die.

There were thousands of palace maids and eunuchs in the palace. Even though many of the higher-ranking maids and eunuchs could cook for themselves, the head cook was responsible for the staple food of six or seven hundred people. The amount of firewood used was considerable, and the rice and flour were about equal, requiring more than three bushels every day. Each bag was filled with a large bushel, weighing about thirty catties, and it took two maids to carry it with heavy effort.

Li Ji carried a bag on his left shoulder and a bag on his right shoulder, weighing sixty or seventy pounds as if it were nothing—in fact, he could carry more, but firstly, he only had two on his shoulders, and secondly, it was not advisable to display his strength too much, lest he attract attention.

Unexpectedly, despite her small and thin frame, A-Cuo possessed far greater strength than the average adult palace maid. She could carry a bag of rice or flour in both arms without slowing down or staggering. Li Ji pondered that it was probably because of her strength that even someone of her caliber was able to remain in the palace.

In the kitchen, all eight stoves in a row were turned on, and the palace servants were adding firewood to start fires and steaming rice. At the same time, several large tables were put together, and six or seven palace servants lined up to knead dough and make cakes.

Whether steaming rice or kneading dough, water is needed, but there is no well in the kitchen... Therefore, Chef Pang instructed Li Ji to fetch water from a separate courtyard about a hundred paces away and fill the two large water vats in the courtyard, each nearly a person tall. The buckets and carrying pole were handed to him by A-Cuo; Li Ji suspected that this task should have been done by her before he arrived...

Li Ji decided to bury himself in hard work. Firstly, only in this way could he avoid being disliked by his colleagues and have the opportunity to get closer to them and find out information. Secondly, he could treat it as morning exercise.

He carried rice, firewood, and water, going in and out, occasionally stealing glances at everyone who appeared—Yang Sichu and Lü Zhangchu were nowhere to be seen, and only Pang Zhangchu was directing the work—and found that apart from Achuo, most of the other palace maids were adults, generally in their twenties or thirties, with two looking older, perhaps around forty, all of them of average appearance.

Only A-Cuo was the youngest and relatively less attractive. A-Cuo first helped him move rice and flour and deliver firewood. After that, he went into the kitchen, held a bamboo tube and blew air under the stove to help control the fire. Although his reaction was a little slow, his hands and feet were still quite quick.

When the palace maids saw the newly arrived eunuch, most of them greeted him from a distance, craning their necks to ask his name and family background. A few, seeing Li Ji's youth, even spoke with a hint of teasing and flirtation, not unlike the older women in modern offices. However, although they were all smiles and laughter, they dared not stop their work, and even their flirting was within tolerable limits compared to the antics of Chef Pang…

Based on what Pang Zhangchi said and did last night, in later generations, she could be sued for office harassment!

However, during the day, in front of everyone, Manager Pang no longer deliberately tried to get close to Li Ji, as if to maintain her leadership dignity. She would occasionally raise her eyebrows and scold this person or admonish that person, but although the palace servants obeyed her orders, their expressions mostly showed that they didn't care much.

Finally, Li Ji caught a glimpse of a palace maid tending a small earthen stove. At first glance, she appeared quite old, probably over forty, but upon closer inspection, she had few wrinkles, suggesting she was only in her early thirties. Her face and features were fairly attractive, but she was disheveled, with a large, bluish birthmark on the side of her face…

It's her!

Although Li Ji had never met Consort Shen, he had heard Li Shi describe her features and appearance in detail while they were in Fengxiang. Later, in Chang'an, Li Chu and Li Tan also described her. By comparing these accounts, he could roughly picture her in his mind. As for the paintings in the palace... those things were of little reference value.

The old eunuch had mentioned that a woman resembling Consort Shen was tending the stoves in the kitchen. He had seen her by chance when he was delivering groceries to Yang, the kitchen director, and casually asked for a pancake from the stove. Moreover, most of the palace maids Li Ji saw in the kitchen were of average appearance. Unless they possessed modern makeup techniques or even beauty filters, no matter how they dressed up, they would never catch Li Chu's eye. Only this kitchen maid had a good face shape and features; if she washed her face and removed the birthmark, she could barely be considered a beauty.

Of course, one cannot expect too much, after all, Consort Shen's son is almost an adult.

Li Ji didn't dare to ask directly, but listened to the palace servants' conversation. It seemed that this palace servant who was suspected to be Consort Shen was named Yang San Niang, or some kind of relative of Yang Si Chi... Well, if it weren't for Si Chi's help, it was unlikely that the real Consort Shen would have changed her identity and hidden in the Yeting Palace for more than two years.

How can I find an opportunity to be alone with this Yang San Niang, get information out of her, and confirm her true identity?

They got up before dawn to start a fire and worked until midday, about an hour and a half, before finally getting the breakfast and lunch ready for more than 600 people.

Both meals' staple foods were prepared—lunch was basically just reheated, and dinner would be prepared again around 3 PM. Then buckets of rice and baskets of flatbread were delivered to the various courtyards one after another, with Li Ji pushing the cart, accompanied and distributed by A-Cuo and another relatively younger palace maid, which kept them busy for more than an hour.

Therefore, the three of them were actually the last to have breakfast in the entire palace. Each of them had a flatbread, a bowl of freshly cooked porridge, and two pickled vegetables. While they ate, most of the other palace servants returned to their living quarters in the inner courtyard. Only the head cook, Pang, directed the two of them to clean the courtyard, while Yang San Niang continued to tend the fire in the kitchen.

Li Ji glanced out the window and saw her with her arms crossed, leaning on the table as if she were taking a nap.

During the meal, Manager Pang sidled up to Li Ji again, smiling and saying, "Not bad, you really have some strength. You can do the work of two people. I, Manager Pang, have really struck gold with you." He then asked, "Did you sleep well last night? Did A-Cuo kick you?"

Taking the opportunity, Li Ji said with a pained expression, "I'm not used to sleeping with women... it's not appropriate. Sister Pang, please change my room."

He wasn't worried about what A-Cuo might do to him, and he certainly wouldn't do anything to A-Cuo. But even though that little girl seemed confused and might be mute, he absolutely couldn't reveal anything to her, just in case. If they continued to sleep in the same room every night, and he had to make time to get ready in the morning, even if he didn't give himself away, he'd probably develop a nervous breakdown over time.

Pang Zhangchu's eyes darted around, and he said, "Alright." He then instructed that the room next to A-Cuo's was empty and cluttered with miscellaneous items, so they could be cleared out for Zhi-Li to sleep in.

Li Ji had already scouted those two rooms last night—besides the kitchen and outhouse, there were only three low rooms in the front yard. One room was where A-Cuo lived, and the other two were filled with miscellaneous items, but they didn't seem to be used as storage. It was estimated that before the rebels broke through Dongjing, the palace in Luoyang had enough palace servants and eunuchs, and the three rooms in the front yard were also used for people to stay in.

Pang Zhangchu's instructions were exactly what Li Ji wanted to hear, and he immediately began to tidy up and clean. Pang Zhangchu even ordered A-Cuo to come and help. The little girl seemed to be mentally challenged, her reactions were three beats slower than normal, but she was quite strong and capable. She was skilled with brooms, dustpans, and rags, and in less than the time it takes to eat a meal, she had tidied everything up.

It was just four bare walls, nothing there.

Before Li Ji could run to beg, Manager Pang first ordered someone to bring over a straw mat, and as for the hemp quilt, he used the one Li Ji had used the night before. After that, he asked Li Ji if he needed anything else, and Li Ji clasped his hands and said, "I need a lamp, a mirror... and something to start a fire."

Pang Zhangchu laughed and said, "We have very few items here... but that's alright, I have extra lamps and mirrors at home, I'll bring them to you, Zhili, in a little while. As for fire, you can get it yourself from the stove—A-Cuo only puts out the stove fire when the lights are out each day."

After a short rest, the palace servants returned to the front courtyard one after another, reheating the rice and flatbread they had made that morning and distributing them to various places. During the whole day, the only relatively long free time was after lunch, so some palace servants, having nothing to do, would come to find Li Ji, either to chat or to inquire about the situation outside.

Li Ji deliberately feigned the awkwardness of a little white rabbit being stared at by a pack of wolves, not daring to lift his eyes. He would only answer one out of ten questions asked by the palace servants. Naturally, he dared not say much about the external situation, only saying, "On my way here, I heard that the royal army (Yan army) was defeated at the walls of Chang'an..."

Most of the palace servants remained unresponsive, as if the outcome of a war between two factions, or whether the empire belonged to the Li or An families, was entirely irrelevant to them. Only one palace maid sighed, "I am originally from Fufeng. If the Tang army wins, I hope they will retake Luoyang; if the Yan army wins, I hope they will move the capital to Chang'an, then perhaps I can return to my hometown..."

Pang Zhangchu sat down next to him, holding a handkerchief full of pumpkin seeds. He cracked them open and sneered, "Whether the Tang emperor returns to the capital or the Yan emperor moves the capital, they will naturally select young and beautiful palace women from the Three Auxiliary Regions. How could it be your turn? You should just stay here and bake cakes. At your age, even if you were released, no one would want you."

One sentence struck a nerve with that palace maid—and with all the other palace maids—and they couldn't help but feel sorry for themselves.

Li Ji listened attentively. It seemed that the customary palace maids were selected to enter the palace at fifteen or sixteen and were to be released in their early twenties. However, despite this system, there were always two or three out of ten who could not fulfill their wish for various reasons. Firstly, what did teenage girls know? They had been raised to adulthood with great difficulty, so how could they bear to let them leave the palace? Especially those with official positions, whose rank was a tight rein, and they had no hope of leaving the palace unless they became unmarried women in their forties or fifties.

But when they reach their forties or fifties, can they still get married? And if women in this era don't get married, what can they rely on? So most of them give up the idea of ​​leaving the palace and can only spend their lives in the inner palace—the example is right before our eyes, such as that Yang Sichu.

Secondly, palace women often faced numerous obstacles in their departure from the palace due to offending female historians or powerful eunuchs, resulting in delays year after year. Some, like the palace maid mentioned earlier, simply had to travel from Chang'an to Luoyang. The Emperor hadn't set foot in Luoyang for over ten years, leading to lax regulations. Those in power often waited until they remembered before submitting a memorial, followed by review, and after repeated bureaucratic maneuvers, released a batch of palace women at once. Those who missed that batch might have to wait five or six years, or even longer.

As for the recent unrest, after the rebels seized Luoyang, they took in all the palace servants and eunuchs who had not managed to escape, and there was no longer any mention of letting them go...

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh inwardly. For the sake of his family's extravagance, he didn't know how many women had suffered. These people in front of him were all pitiful!

Palace maids would occasionally emerge from the backyard to join the "discussion," but Yang San Niang remained holed up in the kitchen, refusing to show herself. Li Ji, while appeasing the palace servants,...

Chapter Fifteen, It Was You All Along

The houses in the backyard were generally larger than those in the frontyard. Most of the palace servants lived in groups of three or four. As for the three leaders, they all lived in suites, which goes without saying.

Li Ji climbed onto the roof ridge, pretending to repair it while looking around, taking in the layout and paths of the two courtyards behind it.

He had no experience with laying tiles or repairing houses, and he was busy until late afternoon, still not finished. Just then, Master Pang strode over, ordering the palace servants to work in the front yard, shouting, "Where's Zhili? Where did Zhili go?!"

The palace maid who had asked Li Ji to help repair the house quickly went over to explain. Pang Zhangchu raised his head, looked at Li Ji, and his face darkened: "Who told you to go up there? Come down now! What if you slip and fall from such a height?" He then rebuked the palace maid: "I have already notified the higher authorities and asked someone to come and repair it. How could you not wait even a few days? How could you do such a dangerous thing out of propriety!"

The palace maid said with a bitter face, "If it were just a few days, we could wait, but the houses were already dilapidated and no one has come to repair them... Sister Pang, look at the sky, dark clouds are gathering, it might rain tonight. How can we sleep peacefully in this leaky house?"

Pang Zhangchang glared at her: "We'll talk about this later." Then he called to Li Ji: "Why aren't you coming down yet? Aren't you listening to me?!"

Li Ji, who was in a state of confusion and didn't know what to do, found this advice exactly what he wanted and quickly climbed down from the roof. The head chef, Pang, kept his eyes fixed on him, repeatedly reminding him, "Be careful, don't fall, it's better to go slowly..."

After finishing his work on dinner, Li Ji returned with the food. It was already getting dark, and the sky was indeed somewhat overcast, as if it might rain in the middle of the night. The palace maid who had gone with him to deliver the food went back to the backyard, while A-Cuo, as usual, went to the kitchen to tidy up.

Then Pang Zhangchu swayed over, complaining, "That woman surnamed Lü is faking illness again. I've been taking care of her inside and out these past few days, but she won't give me more of my allowance. What's the point of all this trouble!" She then instructed A'cuo, "The roof tiles of Fourth Aunt's house are damaged, and it's leaking. I've told them to temporarily scatter to different rooms and squeeze in for a few nights. Third Aunt said she wants to sleep with you and is already in your room."

Upon hearing this, A-Cuo was taken aback again, and after a long while, he finally responded with an "Oh." Li Ji, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but feel secretly delighted.

Although he had already decided not to actually contact or verify Yang San Niang, but simply to protect her secretly, he couldn't let the opportunity slip by. Besides, the days of pretending to be a eunuch in the palace were truly unbearable. If he could confirm that the other party was not Consort Shen, he could find a way to escape from the palace as soon as possible and never return!

We just need to think of a way to get the little girl, A-Cuo, away from us.

So he clasped his hands in greeting to Manager Pang and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room to sleep."

Pang Zhangchu glanced at A-Cuo, who was still tidying up on the stove, and with a slight twitch of his eyes, he smiled and said, "I'll go check on you too. Have you been sleeping well these past few days? Is there anything else you need in the house?"

Li Ji really didn't want her to follow him into his room, but he couldn't stop her. So the two of them took off their shoes one after the other and stepped into the room. He heard the cook say, "This room is small, but it's still empty. We need to add some more furniture for you..." Li Ji lit the oil lamp, and when he turned around, he saw that she had come in carrying her shoes and then closed the door behind her.

Li Ji was startled and quickly said, "Sister Pang, please go ahead, I'm going to sleep..."

Pang Zhangchu bent down and placed his shoes by the door, then straightened up, his phoenix eyes fixed on Li Ji. He smiled broadly, but his voice suddenly lowered a few decibels as he asked with apparent concern, "Zhili, don't you feel lonely sleeping alone? Are you really not used to sleeping with a woman, or do you just look down on A-Cuo?"

Li Ji involuntarily stumbled back a few steps, but Pang Zhangchu followed closely behind. Unfortunately, the room was too small, and Li Ji had nowhere to hide. His back slammed against the wall with a "thud," and Pang Zhangchu seized the opportunity to reach out his left hand, pressing it against the wall right next to Li Ji's ear...

Li Ji thought to himself, "What kind of situation is this? I'm a grown man, and I've been 'wall-pinned' by a middle-aged woman."

Pang Zhangchuan's face, though covered in white powder, couldn't conceal the rosy cheeks. Her phoenix eyes couldn't hide her alluring charm. Her left hand pressed against the wall, blocking Li Ji's path and forcing him into a corner. Her right hand reached up, seemingly wanting to caress Li Ji's face, while she softly whispered:

"You've only recently been castrated, so you don't know that eunuchs can also find pleasure. Would you like Sister Pang to teach you?"

Li Ji almost blurted out, "If you keep doing this, I'm going to call for help!"

He hurriedly reached out and grabbed Pang Zhangchu's right wrist, then instinctively twisted it downwards, saying, "Sister Pang, please have some self-respect!" Pang Zhangchu couldn't help but cry out "Ouch!" in pain, her body tensed, her waist slumped downwards, but she straightened her chest, and quickly pulled back her left hand, hitting Li Ji's chest: "Ouch, let go!"

Li Ji hurriedly let go, taking the opportunity to slide to the side and dodge. In the process, he almost touched Pang Zhangzhan's prominent chest, startling him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat, while simultaneously catching a faint whiff of bad breath…

"Sister Pang, have you been drinking?"

Pang Zhangchu frowned, rubbing his wrist, and gave Li Ji a reproachful look with his phoenix eyes. He pouted and said, "So what if I drink? Don't underestimate this old man just because he's a figurehead. That guy surnamed Lü may be lazy every day, but he's always watching me, trying to find fault with me. If I didn't have some drinks, how would I dare to come looking for you?" Then he pouted again, "You little devil, I know you're strong, but how can you be so reckless? You pinched me so hard..."

He stretched his wrist out in front of Li Ji's eyes: "Quickly take a look, has it been pinched until it's bruised?"

Li Ji was forced to take another step back, pleading with a pained expression, "Sister Pang, please don't act crazy while drunk... What if someone hears us and tells Chef Lü..."

Pang Zhangchan squinted and smiled, "How many people are there in the front yard? Who would hear us?"

"Yang San Niang and A Cuo live next door..."

"Third Sister has already gone to bed, and A-Cuo is still busy in the kitchen. Besides, A-Cuo is mentally challenged, so what does she know? But judging from your appearance, Zhi-Li, you seem to know a little bit, which is for the best."

Li Ji was truly in a dilemma. He couldn't hit her, nor could he yell at her. Moreover, he wanted to remain undercover in Si Chu, so he dared not offend Manager Pang too much... He could only bow deeply and say, "Sister Pang, you should go back..." Then, pinching his nose, he said seriously, "Drunkenness led to promiscuity, which was not Sister Pang's intention. I also do not wish to see Sister Pang like this. Please go, we have plenty of time in the future..."

Pang Zhangchu slowly leaned closer: "In this life, we only seek a moment of pleasure. Who has any hope for tomorrow? What tomorrow can people like you and me possibly have?"

Li Ji pretended to grab her wrist again, and Pang Zhangchi quickly stopped and withdrew her hand—the little guy didn't know his own strength and pinched people too hard... Then Li Ji said, "It is absolutely impossible tonight. I beg Sister Pang to go back and go back."

Despite Pang Zhang's repeated persuasion and seduction, Li Ji refused. Finally, perhaps because her drunkenness had subsided somewhat, she reluctantly got up, opened the door, and turned to leave. Li Ji wiped the cold sweat from his brow, feeling utterly exhausted from the past few minutes—more so than if he had fought several burly men for a hundred rounds. All he wanted to do was lie down and fall into a deep sleep…

But he still mustered his spirits and watched Pang Zhangchu leave from the doorway. It was already dark, and the courtyard was dimly lit. As she passed the still-lit kitchen, Pang Zhangchu seemed to vent her anger by knocking on the windowpane and shouting, "Wash all the pots and pans, and put everything away on the shelves. Don't be lazy!" But it wasn't until she stepped out of the front yard that a low "Oh" came from inside the house.

Li Ji blew out the oil lamp and stepped out the door. Without putting on his shoes, he tiptoed into the kitchen, peeking inside. He saw A-Cuo expressionlessly washing a pot, with a pile of bowls and chopsticks beside him. It would probably take at least a quarter of an hour to finish. Since Li Ji's arrival, the palace servants in charge of cooking seemed to have become even lazier, pushing a lot of work onto Li Ji. Li Ji only took over most of the heavy lifting, leaving the rest for A-Cuo to do.

Li Ji left the kitchen and quietly slipped into A-Cuo's room. He pushed the door open—sure enough, it was still unlocked from the inside. With a creak, the hinges rattled, startling Li Ji. He quickly turned around and looked into the kitchen, but seeing no unusual movement from A-Cuo, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Yang San Niang's voice came from inside the door: "A-Cuo? Tonight I will sleep with you again."

Li Ji stepped into the house and casually half-closed the door.

Yang San Niang, however, was quite alert. Even in the darkness, she sensed something amiss in the footsteps and immediately sat up, asking in a low voice, "If you're not A-Cuo, then who are you?!"

Li Ji ultimately dared not approach too closely. He stopped once both feet were inside the doorway and then replied in a low voice, "There's no need to ask who I am. Just ask Third Sister, is there someone born in the year of Renwu, the month of Yisi, the day of Guisi, and the hour of Dingsi? Do you recognize him?"

The information he provided was naturally Li Shi's birth date and time: Renwu year was the first year of the Tianbao era, Yisi month was the fourth month of that year, Guisi day was the nineteenth day of that month, and Dingsi hour was between nine and eleven o'clock in the morning. Many people are born on the same day, month, and year, and the first six characters of their birth chart would match, but to have the same hour pillar as well is theoretically unlikely. Therefore, he used this information to inquire with Yang Sanniang. He didn't need her to admit it; simply observing her reaction should allow him to draw a fairly accurate conclusion.

Unfortunately, it was too dark to see her face clearly, so we could only judge her based on what Yang San Niang said, especially her tone.

Why is the palace so poor that they can't even afford to keep the lamps lit for a little longer?

However, before Yang Sanniang could answer, Li Ji suddenly heard a creaking sound from the door hinge behind him, followed by a gust of wind that went straight for the back of his head! He reacted quickly, ducking down and kicking backward at the same time.

His kick missed its mark, and when he turned around, the door was ajar, but no one was in sight. Li Ji felt a chill run down his spine...

Who is it? Is it possible that my every move is being controlled by someone else?!

Just as he was on high alert, listening intently and scanning his surroundings, not daring to let his guard down or make the slightest move, suddenly the sky brightened, followed by a deafening clap of thunder half a second later—the rain was indeed about to fall. In that flash of lightning, the room brightened slightly, and Li Ji glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that someone was climbing on the wall to his side!

The man, with his back against the wall and arms and legs outstretched, somehow managed to hang steadily in mid-air without falling. Then a clap of thunder sounded, and as soon as it subsided, Li Ji let out a soft shout:

"Oh it's you!"