But even without response, Helan Ji never got angry. He personally tended to Qixue, changing dressings, feeding him, cleaning the nest—even wiping his rear daily, with a meticulous patience unlike any three-year-old.
Only in front of his mother and brother did Helan Ji act like a child. In Qixue’s memory, the Empress and Crown Prince doted on him greatly. They were all gentle, kind people.
Every night, Helan Ji carried the rabbit nest to his pillow and slept with Qixue. The Empress sat by the bed, gently patting Helan Ji and humming lullabies to soothe him to sleep.
Qixue too would sink into the Empress’s gentle singing, his rabbit ears drooping as he quickly fell asleep.
A month later, Qixue’s wound healed. The Crown Prince took Helan Ji back to that mountain and released him.
The little prince was reluctant to let Qixue go, tears welling in his dark eyes as he tugged at his brother’s clothes. “Can’t we keep Yuan Yuan?”
Yuan Yuan was the name Helan Ji had given Qixue. Helan Ji’s own pet name was A’Man, and he chose “Yuan” for Qixue—first, because his rabbit form was fluffy and round; second, to pair “Yuan Yuan Man Man” with his own name.
The Crown Prince crouched down, stroking his brother’s hair, and coaxed him warmly. “Yuan Yuan is a spirit creature of the mountains, born to be free. If you keep him confined forever, he’ll be unhappy. A’Man, can you bear to see him listless?”
Helan Ji hesitated. “But… Yuan Yuan might face dangers. He could be eaten by wild beasts…”
“Then let Yuan Yuan choose.”
The Crown Prince set the rabbit cage on the ground and opened the door. “If Yuan Yuan doesn’t leave, we’ll take him back and keep him forever. If he…”
Before the Crown Prince finished, Qixue bolted from the cage into the grass. He was grateful to Helan Ji, but after years of cultivation, he wasn’t meant to stay in the palace for life.
“Yuan Yuan…”
The little prince stood dejectedly in place for a long time, and Qixue did not leave either. He quietly watched the two brothers, feeling a bit reluctant to part with Helan Ji in his heart.
“Let’s go back.”
The Crown Prince took his younger brother’s hand and led him back to the carriage. “If you and Yuan Yuan are fated, you will surely meet again in the future. Yuan Yuan will return to repay the kindness.”
“Repay the kindness…? Can the little rabbit live that long?”
“Of course. Yuan Yuan is not an ordinary little rabbit.”
As the carriage gradually moved farther away, Qixue emerged from the bushes and watched them depart.
He knew the Crown Prince had likely seen through his demonic nature long ago, but the kind-hearted prince said nothing about it and instead granted him freedom.
Faint cries came from the little prince in the carriage. It was at that moment that Qixue made up his mind. He would be a rabbit that knew gratitude and sought to repay it. Once he cultivated a human form, he would return the favor.
Not just Helan Ji’s kindness, but also that of the Crown Prince and the Empress. They had all shown him grace.
But before Qixue could cultivate his human form, dire news came from Shangjing: the Empress and the Crown Prince had both fallen ill and died.
Perhaps from the beginning, Helan Ji should not have named him “Yuan Yuan.” Once Yuan Yuan left, “completeness” was no more, leaving only fragments and devastation.
How lonely must his benefactor be…?
…
In the early morning, Qixue, having packed up properly, bid farewell to Xuan Yang and arrived at Eunuch Dong’s residence.
Eunuch Dong had already prepared a carriage and personally drove it all the way to the eastern palace gate.
The two got out of the carriage and entered the Imperial Palace through a side door. Before dismounting, Eunuch Dong specially instructed Qixue to wear his veil hat properly so others wouldn’t see his face.
They passed through vermilion walls and headed deeper into the palace grounds. Before Qixue could feel excited, he first sensed a bone-chilling coldness.
It had nothing to do with the frigid weather; this was an instinctive vigilance. Something seemed to be watching them from the shadows, its chilling gaze following like a shadow, clinging like a maggot to the bone, impossible to shake off.
What was watching them?
Qixue looked around in confusion. Through the white gauze of the veil hat, everything appeared hazy like fog over flowers, all blurred in white mist. He couldn’t pinpoint the source of the gaze.
It wasn’t until Eunuch Dong unlocked the door to a room and led him inside that the sensation of being watched finally vanished. Qixue pondered it and concluded that whatever was spying on them must be some kind of demon—only demons gave him such a chilling feeling.
“Young Master Sang, please sit for a moment. I’ll fetch your medicine.”
Eunuch Dong said softly to Qixue before walking to the cabinet against the wall.
Qixue sat down and surveyed the room. It was a pharmacy, filled with a thick medicinal scent. Medicine cabinets lined three walls, with only one having a door and window, making the light dim.
Eunuch Dong took a pill from a drawer and handed it to Qixue along with a cup of water. Qixue held the pill curiously and asked, “What kind of medicine is this?”
“A secret medicine from the Imperial Hospital,” Eunuch Dong explained. “Everyone entering the palace, man or woman, must take it. For men, it prevents erections, sparing them the agony of castration.”
It prevents erections? Would that affect his ability to bear children for His Majesty?
Qixue held the pill, unsure if his Poison Avoidance Technique would work on it, and asked Eunuch Dong, “Is there an antidote?”
“Of course there’s an antidote. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare give it to you, young master.”
A strange smile appeared on Eunuch Dong’s powdered face. “But we must follow the rules. Bear with it for a few days. Once things are settled, the Imperial Hospital won’t dare withhold the antidote from you.”
Reassured, Qixue swallowed the pill. It melted in his mouth and tasted decent, but oddly, as he ate it, he seemed to detect a faint icy sweet-and-fishy flavor—a wisp of extremely subtle demon qi.
An illusion?
Qixue touched his stomach, puzzled, but some medicinal herbs naturally had spiritual properties, so a bit of demon qi wasn’t unusual. He didn’t dwell on it and pressed further, “What exactly is your plan, sir?”
“It’s hardly a plan,” Eunuch Dong said. “I’ve already arranged with the steward of Cuiwei Palace to send you in as an inner servant. All you need to do is make sure Xu Taifei sees you as much as possible, and then…”
“Then what? What do I do?”
“Nothing.” Eunuch Dong smiled. “Just obey Xu Taifei’s words.”
“?” Qixue blinked. “That’s it? So simple?”
“That’s it.”
Eunuch Dong continued, “Your sharpest weapon isn’t your mind, young master, but your unparalleled beauty. You don’t need to guess the nobles’ thoughts. Just appearing before them is enough to make them fond of you.”
Qixue thought it made sense, but it stirred more anxiety in him. Was he going to be Xu Taifei’s bed warmer?
It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it—serving Xu Taifei was no different from serving Wei Huai. But if he became her bed warmer, he could never be His Majesty’s favored consort. How would he bear children for His Majesty then?
After much thought, Qixue decided to head to Cuiwei Palace first anyway. He’d already taken the medicine, so unless he got the antidote, nothing could happen between him and Xu Taifei.
Eunuch Dong locked the pharmacy door and led Qixue to Cuiwei Palace. A little inner servant was already waiting at the gate. Upon seeing Eunuch Dong, he bowed deeply. “Greetings to Supervisor Dong.”
Qixue glanced at Eunuch Dong through the veil. It seemed he held some status in the palace.
Eunuch Dong smiled faintly and said to the little inner servant, “I’ve brought the person. Please pass my regards to Supervisor Cui and ask him to look after my A Xue.”
“Of course, of course.”
The little inner servant agreed enthusiastically, then said politely to Qixue, “Brother A Xue, follow me. I’ll take you to see Supervisor Cui.”
Qixue followed the little inner servant into Cuiwei Palace. The palace was vast, with one grand hall and four smaller ones. Winding corridors featured carved beams and painted rafters, and the verandas were planted with exotic flowers and herbs that released a refreshing fragrance.
The little inner servant brought Qixue to a side room, where a middle-aged inner servant sat leisurely drinking tea. He merely glanced up at Qixue’s arrival. “You’re Sang Xue?”
Qixue removed his veil hat and smiled at the middle-aged inner servant. “I am Sang Xue. Greetings, Supervisor Cui.”
The moment he revealed his true appearance, Supervisor Cui and the little inner servant both widened their eyes. “Oh my, this is truly, truly…”
Supervisor Cui shot to his feet, stepped in front of Qixue, and examined him closely. The more he looked, the more entranced his gaze became. “Now I understand why that kid Dong Yuan was willing to give me so many benefits just to get you into Cuiwei Palace… What a schemer!”
Qixue didn’t know what to say and could only smile. “Thank you for your appreciation, Supervisor.”
“You’re called A Xue, right?”
Supervisor Cui’s tone instantly softened. “Alright, go change into some clothes first. Then I’ll explain the rules of Cuiwei Palace to you.”
The little inner servant took Qixue to the inner room to change into inner servant attire. Qixue noticed that inner servants had ranks too—lowly ones like him wore deep gray, while supervisors like Eunuch Dong and Supervisor Cui wore dark blue.
Not everyone powdered their faces either. Along the way, Qixue had seen many inner servants and palace maids; some powdered, some didn’t, with no clear pattern tied to rank.
For instance, Eunuch Dong had powdered his face corpse-white, but Supervisor Cui and the guiding little inner servant had not.
Qixue asked the little inner servant, “Do I need to powder my face?”
“Usually not.” The little inner servant looked at Qixue, his face flushing red as he shook his head. “As long as you’re not going to other palaces on errands, no need.”
“Is there some rule behind it?”
“Yes.” The little inner servant explained, “The face powder contains a medicinal powder to repel demons and poisons. Cuiwei Palace has no demons or poisons, so no need. But other palaces might, so better to be cautious.”
“I see.”
No wonder the Holy Monarch had him learn the Poison Avoidance Technique before entering the palace. Without it, daily exposure to that powder would have been unbearable, worse than death.
After changing, Supervisor Cui kept Qixue behind alone to explain the rules of Cuiwei Palace.
“We have only one rule here: ‘Her Highness the Imperial Consort.’ Everything the consort says or does is right. If she says the sky is red, it is red. If she says the water is black, it is black. Understand?”
Qixue thought for a moment and nodded. “I understand.”
Xu Taifei had been mad for many years, her mind like a child’s. The palace people in Cuiwei Palace served her like accompanying a child—indulging her every whim, never upsetting her.
Supervisor Cui grunted in approval. “The rest are minor details you can learn gradually, but keep this rule in your heart at all times.”
