Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 69

The Empress Dowager Refuses

Wan Bi threw down the letter and pushed open the door. At the doorway, only a bed with rumpled blankets remained—Yao Xi had really left.

She walked barefoot across the cold stone floor to the main hall entrance, gripping the door frame as she gazed out. Outside was pitch black, nothing visible. Gone so decisively! As if all that undying love was merely her own delusion. Otherwise, why would someone who could die for her not stay in the palace for her sake?

            

Yao Xi had already crossed the small bridge over the stream. The further she got from the Empress Dowager’s palace, the heavier her steps became, as if something she couldn’t bear to leave behind was being left further and further in the distance. She tried to imagine the happy things awaiting her outside the palace to suppress the growing unease in her heart.

She had expressed thanks and apologies in her letter to the Empress Dowager. The letter she intended to ask Princess Longyi to deliver to Noble Lady Lan only stated that she wasn’t Yao Xian—not a single word about being a woman. After leaving the palace, she would live as a woman, and even if they searched for an escaped eunuch, they wouldn’t be searching for a woman.

Once outside, she’d buy some land and a farm, maybe open a pastry shop or a silk store to do some business. Whether she made much or little didn’t matter—she couldn’t just sit and eat through her savings. Eighty thousand taels was certainly a lot, but even the largest sum had its limit. This money had to last her whole life, and outside the palace, no one would be like the Empress Dowager or Princess Longyi, constantly bestowing generous rewards on her.

            

Eunuch Liufu’s matter was a warning bell. Thinking about how she would never again have to worry about the open and hidden attacks in the palace, Yao Xi’s mood improved considerably, and her steps grew lighter.

Just after crossing the stream and before turning onto the covered walkway, Yao Xi suddenly heard rustling footsteps nearby. The footsteps were very light—if it weren’t for the deep silence of night and her constant vigilance, she wouldn’t have heard them at all.

This path led to the Empress Dowager’s palace. Afraid of running into acquaintances who served in Her Highness’s palace, Yao Xi ducked behind the wine jars stored in the corner at the end of the walkway. She hugged her knees, crouching very low, holding her breath as she waited for the group to pass.

            

“Hey! There’s a fork in the road. Forward or left?”

Yao Xi heard a man’s voice above her head. She was so frightened she covered her mouth tightly. Though she couldn’t see the speaker, if they were servants in Her Highness’s palace, how could they not know whether to go forward or left? Going straight forward led to the back mountain; going left crossed the stream to Her Highness’s palace.

“Seems like… forward? This place is fucking huge!”

            

Assassins again! The Empress Dowager really had an assassin-attracting constitution.

Yao Xi listened as the footsteps headed toward the back mountain, then quickly grabbed a jar of wine and took a fist-sized candle from a stone lantern. She rose and ran to warn the Empress Dowager.

Tonight was her night duty, but she had run off. Her Highness was now completely defenseless, so she had to go back.

            

She also thought about the letter she had stuffed for Her Highness. In it, she had said she wanted to leave the palace to live an ordinary life. Escaping from the palace was a capital offense, but if she rushed back to protect Her Highness, perhaps her merit could offset her crime? Perhaps Her Highness would be pleased and let her leave the palace?

She had also considered going to Princess Longyi for help. But by the time she ran there and brought people back to Her Highness’s palace, it would probably be too late. She didn’t dare call out loudly—the assassins had gone the wrong way toward the back mountain, and if she shouted, she’d only call them back. She had to take advantage of the time the assassins went the wrong way to quickly warn the Empress Dowager and organize the palace staff to protect Her Highness.

Yao Xi ran while pulling out the letter she had intended for Noble Lady Lan. She used the candle to burn it. She was afraid that if she died protecting Her Highness later, and the Empress Dowager saw this letter, it would bring trouble to Noble Lady Lan.

            

Yao Xi thought of many things, but never once did she consider ignoring the Empress Dowager’s life and death to escape from the palace. Princess Longyi was willing to help—if she couldn’t find another chance to leave after tonight, she’d just have to be anxious for a few more days. But if she didn’t go save Her Highness, Her Highness might very well die at the assassins’ hands. She didn’t want Her Highness to die!

Wan Bi stood frozen at the palace entrance for a while, then decided to send someone to capture Yao Xi and bring him back. The Emperor had ordered the palace gates sealed—Yao Xi couldn’t escape. If caught, he might even be hacked to death by random blades. She wanted to bring the person back also to personally ask why he wanted to flee the palace. Was he frightened by today’s chaotic events in the palace, not believing she could protect him?

Just as she was about to call someone to chase Yao Xi, Wan Bi saw Yao Xi running back, gasping for breath. She wasn’t surprised at all—seeing the little castrated donkey in such a sorry state, he must have been discovered by palace patrol and came running back to beg for his life. But why was he holding a wine jar?

            

“Your Highness, there are assassins!” Yao Xi had just finished speaking when she heard footsteps in the woods behind her—those assassins had found their way back after hitting a dead end. “Someone! Protect Her Highness!!!”

Yao Xi ran to the steps, holding the wine jar in her left hand and the candle in her right, looking anxiously at the approaching assassins while saying to the Empress Dowager standing behind her: “Your Highness, hide quickly! So many assassins are coming—”

Before she could finish, she heard a loud “bang” behind her. Turning around, the palace door had already closed…

            

Um… why did she suddenly regret coming back?

Her Highness had moved to Princess Longyi’s palace without bringing many servants. Except for her staying in the duty room beside the main hall, the other eunuchs and maids all lived elsewhere, and it would take a while for them to come when they heard the commotion. Yao Xi fell into despair—Her Highness was really not loyal, couldn’t she have taken her into the hall to hide together?

While Yao Xi was thinking random thoughts, the door behind her suddenly opened again. She looked back and saw the Empress Dowager standing calmly at the entrance, pursing her lips at her: “Eunuch Yao, watch your back. The assassins are coming.” After saying this, she leisurely folded her arms.

            

Why did Her Highness not only seem unafraid, but look like she was watching a show? She was just missing a handful of melon seeds to crack.

The assassins really did charge over. Yao Xi didn’t have time to think nonsense. She picked up the wine jar, took a big gulp of wine, then raised the candle and forcefully sprayed the wine from her mouth. The sprayed wine was ignited by the fire on the candle, turning into a huge tongue of flame. The assassins were caught off guard, their eyes stinging from the fumes, and their steps slowed.

Yao Xi didn’t dare slack off for a moment. She had to stall for time until help arrived. Mouthful after mouthful of wine, she was like a fire-breathing dragon, firmly guarding in front of the Empress Dowager, not allowing villains to approach. But the assassins were numerous, and she couldn’t watch all of them. The flames couldn’t kill with one strike either, and Yao Xi’s attacks grew weaker.

            

Wan Bi leaned against the door, watching Yao Xi’s thin figure guarding in front of her. She was moved and also puzzled. If he cares so much, why did he want to leave the palace?

Yao Xi made a mistake—in the chaos, she took a small sip of wine and sprayed it at the candle. The assassins had all turned away covering their faces, then suddenly realized they didn’t feel the previous heat wave. Turning around, they saw that the person protecting the Empress Dowager had only sprayed out a palm-sized small flame.

“Kill!” The assassin at the front raised his blade to strike at Yao Xi’s head. Yao Xi threw the wine jar at the assassin, then tossed the candle at him. The assassin instantly became a human fireball.

            

But immediately a second one charged at her. Yao Xi, having lost her weapons and being empty-handed, was so frightened she couldn’t move. She watched helplessly as the assassin’s blade came closer and closer. Her heart was anxious but she couldn’t move.

When the assassin’s blade was only a foot away from her head, Yao Xi felt someone grab her waist and pull her back. When she came to her senses, she was already held in the Empress Dowager’s single arm.

Wan Bi forcefully pushed Yao Xi behind her, raised the hand gun she had grabbed when closing the door earlier, and fired one shot at each assassin. Her aim was already excellent, and the assassins were close. The four rounds from the five-barrel revolver hit the chests of four assassins without missing. The wine jar Yao Xi had thrown even saved her one round.

            

“Since you were determined to leave the palace, why did you come back? Do you really think this bereaved one needs your protection?” Wan Bi’s tone was arrogant. “In all those years before you came to serve at my side, this bereaved one lived perfectly well.” She heard no movement behind her, thinking the little castrated donkey was stunned into silence by her heroic figure. After dealing with the assassins, she turned around—why was the little castrated donkey lying on the ground with such a deathly look on his face?

Wan Bi remembered that earlier, to protect the little castrated donkey, she seemed to have pushed him rather hard into the hall… Wan Bi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She forgot that the main hall’s threshold was quite high. It would be strange if the little castrated donkey didn’t fall after being pushed so suddenly.

He wouldn’t have died, would he? Wan Bi anxiously stepped into the hall and checked Yao Xi’s breath.

            

Warm. Good, good.

Yao Xi wasn’t dead, just knocked unconscious from hitting her head. After tripping over the threshold, she fell heavily to the ground. The floor was stone, very hard.

“Head… head hurts…” Yao Xi was so dizzy she couldn’t open her eyes, moaning weakly.

            

“What did you say? This bereaved one can’t hear you.” Wan Bi didn’t catch what Yao Xi said. The little castrated donkey’s voice was too faint, and the assassin burning outside kept screaming.

Yao Xi said muzzily: “Hurts…”

“Where does it hurt?” Wan Bi was getting impatient. She raised the hand gun and fired another shot at the burning assassin. Really so noisy! After firing, she asked Yao Xi in a gentle tone: “Where does it hurt?”

            

“Head…” Yao Xi said before passing out.

Damn! Wan Bi touched Yao Xi’s little head with heartache. The child was already foolish, and now with a head injury, he’d probably be ruined. She really felt guilty—five or six assassins couldn’t do anything to him, but she pushed him and knocked him out with one move. And regardless of why he wanted to leave the palace, the fact that he risked his life to come back and save her was undeniable.

The maids and eunuchs finally arrived. Wan Bi held Yao Xi and ordered: “Take this bereaved one’s token and immediately leave the palace to fetch Imperial Physician Fu. The rest of you, clean up those filthy things at the entrance.” After ordering, she picked Yao Xi up horizontally and entered the sleeping quarters.

            

Wan Bi gently placed Yao Xi on the bed, her movements as careful as if she were holding something fragile and precious. She was really afraid of accidentally getting the little castrated donkey all bloody again. After laying the person flat, Wan Bi removed Yao Xi’s boots, moved those small feet onto the bed, and pulled the quilt over him.

While covering Yao Xi with the quilt, Wan Bi’s hand brushed across his chest. Something hard? She felt through the clothes—the little castrated donkey’s chest was bulging. Wan Bi reached in with a puzzled expression and pulled out the bulging bundle. Unfolding it, she saw a thick stack of silver notes—exactly what she had rewarded the little castrated donkey.

So he didn’t want those six chests of priceless items, preferring a mere eighty thousand taels in silver notes, just for the convenience of escaping the palace? Wan Bi snorted coldly and stuffed the silver notes into her own bosom.

            

She wasn’t a stingy person, and she never took back things she rewarded to servants. But she was really afraid that if the little castrated donkey had silver on him, he’d get ideas about leaving the palace again.

She would never let anyone know that the moment she threw down the letter and went out to find the little castrated donkey already gone, her heart felt like someone was gripping it with excruciating pain. Only when she saw the little castrated donkey running back gasping for breath did that pain ease somewhat.

Hearing that the Empress Dowager was attacked by assassins, Emperor Ming Cheng and Empress Zhu along with others from the harem rushed over overnight. Wan Bi was afraid too many people would disturb Yao Xi’s rest, so she instructed the gugu: “Tell the Emperor to come back tomorrow! Say this bereaved one is tired, and he’s been tired all day too. No one else is to be allowed in either!”

            

Imperial Physician Fu rushed into the palace overnight.

Wan Bi pointed at Yao Xi lying on the bed: “Fell and knocked unconscious. Imperial Physician Fu, see if there’s any serious harm.”

Fu Wenqing bowed to the Empress Dowager, sat on the stool beside the bed, pulled out Yao Xi’s hand, and began taking his pulse.

            

“Hmm…” Fu Wenqing had seen Yao Xi at the Bureau of Imperial Gardens and knew he was a eunuch. He thought he had taken the pulse incorrectly. He laid Yao Xi’s left hand flat and took the pulse carefully again. His brows furrowed. How could a eunuch have the pulse of a woman during her menstrual period?

Wan Bi saw Imperial Physician Fu’s grave expression, and her heart sank. If the little castrated donkey was really harmed by that push of hers, what would she do? “Is it very serious?”

Fu Wenqing hesitated for a moment. This Eunuch Yao was a girl, but should he tell the Empress Dowager? A woman impersonating a eunuch to enter the palace was a capital offense! “This humble subject heard from the gugu that Eunuch Yao has merit in protecting Your Highness?” Fu Wenqing didn’t want to deceive the Empress Dowager, but he also didn’t want to cost this Yao girl her life with his words.

            

“Please promise this humble subject that no matter what, you will spare Eunuch Yao’s life!” Fu Wenqing knelt and said.

Wan Bi was getting more confused: “Summoning you to the palace is to save him. Where does this talk of sparing his life come from?”

“If Your Highness doesn’t agree, this humble subject dare not report.” Fu Wenqing solemnly kowtowed.

            

“Get up! This bereaved one promises you. Say whatever you have to say.” Wan Bi thought the Imperial Physician was really getting old, becoming more and more long-winded.

Fu Wenqing then rose and reported: “Eunuch Yao is a woman. The fainting isn’t entirely due to the bump—it’s also because she has her monthly period while being weak in both qi and blood, and she was frightened.”

Monthly period? Wan Bi thought of that hand covered in blood. The little castrated donkey was a girl? Her feelings were indescribably complex.

            

But this did explain why the little castrated donkey wanted to escape the palace. But why would she enter the palace in the first place?

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