Eunuch Su, Eunuch Su!

“What is your surname, Mama?” Huiming asked. Although she was young, she worked in Qiande Palace. Moreover, given Seventh Prince’s condition, Mama Wang didn't dare to act arrogantly. She lowered her head respectfully and replied, “This servant doesn't dare. My surname is Wang.”

“Mama Wang,” Huiming bowed slightly and glanced at the old woman's trembling hands. “You look unwell. Are you alright?”

Mama Wang shook her head hastily, as if afraid that others might think she was ill. She even suppressed her coughs and said, “Not at all. I'm just old and useless. It’s just an old problem, nothing serious!”

In the palace, if a servant fell ill, they would be moved to a remote location to recover, or worse, to await their fate. It was even more unlikely for them to appear near the Emperor, who had just recovered from a serious illness.

Instantly understanding Mama Wang’s concerns, Huiming subtly changed the subject. “I see. Then I’ll go get a bowl of ginger tea. It’ll be good for both Your Highness and you to warm your hands.”

Without waiting for a reply, Huiming nodded slightly and turned to go to the tea room. She was about to ask the little eunuch in charge of boiling water for two bowls of ginger tea when she saw Eunuch Su’s apprentice, Yuanbao, at the door. She greeted him with a smile and was about to speak when she noticed Wei GuGu sitting inside the tea room, resting. Two familiar palace maids stood beside her, seemingly from the Office of Female Attendants.

Huiming paused. Although palace servants and guards often rested in the tea room, those with seniority like Eunuch Su and Wei GuGu usually didn't.

There was a row of rooms behind Qiande Palace. Because they were low and faced away from the sun, they weren't suitable for masters. Apart from storing commonly used items and ornaments, several small rooms were specifically allocated for senior servants to rest. Although small, they were well-equipped, with even dedicated young palace maids and eunuchs serving them hot tea. There was no need for them to come here personally.

Although Wei GuGu simply sat there without even lifting her eyelids, Huiming instantly understood that something was wrong, perhaps due to her decades of experience as a chief palace maid in her previous life.

Thanks to her past life's experience, although she sensed something amiss, Huiming remained calm. She greeted Wei GuGu respectfully according to etiquette. Seeing that Wei GuGu didn't say anything, she turned around and asked the little eunuch in the tea room for two bowls of ginger tea for the Seventh Prince.

“Oh, serving tea is our job. Why bother Huiming with this?” The speaker was a long-faced palace maid standing behind Wei GuGu. Huiming remembered her as Baihao, responsible for food and drinks in the Office of Female Attendants. The one beside her was called Hongyun. They were the two who always flattered Wei GuGu the most.

Remembering this, Huiming became even more wary. “Since Elder Sister is here, please send the two bowls of ginger tea to Seventh Prince outside.”

Baihao curled her lip disdainfully. “In such cold weather, even ginger tea will turn cold after a while. You may be trying to please, but what if His Highness gets a stomach ache after drinking it? Wouldn't we be blamed?”

Huiming didn't back down. “If you're worried about the cold, why not use a Kongming porcelain cup? Wouldn't that solve the problem?”

The Kongming cup was a type of porcelain commonly used in the palace during both summer and winter. The cup had double walls with a hollow space in between. Whether it was a cold drink or hot soup, it could be kept warm or cold for a long time by covering it with a lid. Moreover, it felt comfortable to hold. Baihao was deliberately finding fault, either to make things difficult for Huiming or because she looked down on the unfavored Seventh Prince and didn't want to put in the effort.

Hearing this, Wei GuGu slowly put down her teacup and finally spoke in a gentle tone, “Although you've just arrived, you're doing a good job. You're already capable of giving orders to the Office of Female Attendants on my behalf.”

Instructing and disciplining the palace maids in the Office of Female Attendants was originally the responsibility of Wei GuGu and Xu GuGu, the chief palace maids. Wei GuGu’s words clearly implied that Huiming was overstepping her boundaries.

If it were anything else, Huiming might have let it slide. However, thinking of Mama Wang, who was clearly suffering from a cold but still standing in the cold wind for the sake of Seventh Prince, Huiming gritted her teeth and looked up, bringing out her only support at the moment: “Not at all. It was Eunuch Su who instructed me to serve tea to His Highness. I was merely following orders.”

So be it. She already owed Eunuch Su a lot, so she might as well use his name this time. The only way she could repay him was to do her best and prevent him from dying such a senseless death this time.

“Oh, GuGu is here. I've been looking for you." As if on cue, just as Huiming finished mentioning Eunuch Su, his only apprentice, Yuanbao, appeared at the door of the tea room. Ignoring everyone else, he smiled warmly at Huiming. “The Department of Palace Affairs has just sent over a few sets of new ornaments. Please go and sort them out, GuGu.”

This was Huiming's job. Naturally, she immediately agreed. Before she could speak, Wei GuGu said in surprise, “New ornaments for His Majesty? It's not time to add new ones yet. Why wasn't I informed?”

Among all the little eunuchs in the palace, Yuanbao was the only one who became Eunuch Su's apprentice. This wasn't without reason. Besides being lucky, Yuanbao was the closest and most trusted person to his master. Although his master didn't say anything, after hearing his master's instructions, he went to inquire about what had happened in the Emperor's bedchamber this morning. He also learned why Eunuch Su disregarded Wei GuGu's status and directly asked him to go to the Department of Palace Affairs. Therefore, he didn't mind Wei GuGu's question at all. He immediately put away his smile and looked at Wei GuGu with a strange expression. “His Majesty has just recovered and needs to change into lighter and more comfortable clothes. Eunuch Su just realized that we don't even have a comfortable headband in our palace and had to trouble the palace maids to take apart the existing ones. That's why he instructed the Department of Palace Affairs to send some over.”

These words were practically a blatant defense of Huiming's actions earlier. Huiming blushed slightly. She had removed the jade buckle from the headband beforehand because of her past life's experience. In fact, Wei GuGu hadn't instructed her to do so. If it weren't for her past life's experience and knowing that Wei GuGu was deliberately targeting her, judging from this incident alone, it wouldn't be considered excessive for Wei GuGu to reprimand her for being nosy and showing off. The reason why Huiming was so concerned at that time was not only for herself but also because she was angry that Wei GuGu deliberately deceived Eunuch Su, causing him to repeatedly vouch for her for no reason.

Now, Eunuch Su had slapped Wei GuGu in the face in public just because of such a small matter. Even Huiming herself felt embarrassed, let alone Wei GuGu. Wei GuGu's face flushed alternately red and white, no longer showing her usual gentleness.

Yuanbao, at the door, acted as if he hadn't seen anything. He turned to Huiming and asked, "Anything else, GuGu?"

Huiming bowed slightly. "Seventh Prince is in the courtyard. I came to get two bowls of ginger tea."

After hearing this, Yuanbao looked directly at Baihao. Baihao stubbornly refused to answer. Hongyun, on the other hand, took the initiative to say, "It was originally our job. I'll send it over right away!"

However, Huiming didn't back down and stood firmly at the door. "No need. I'll do it."

Huiming was worried that others might scare the little prince. But in the eyes of others, her actions seemed domineering. However, Yuanbao's expression remained unchanged. He just stood there and urged the little eunuch who was making tea with his eyes. On the other hand, Wei GuGu's face became even uglier. She looked at Huiming with resentment. Baihao couldn't help but mutter a few words, such as "Shameless hussy!" and "Relying on currying favor with superiors!" Her words made Yuanbao glance at her and secretly take note of her.

Although it wasn't her intention, since things had come to this, Huiming calmed down. She took the Kongming cups filled with hot ginger tea and asked for two hand warmers. After thanking Yuanbao, she personally delivered the items to Mama Wang and Seventh Prince. Only then did she turn around and go to the back room to busy herself with her own tasks.

Although Mama Wang didn't know why the palace maid from the Office of Female Attendants was so polite to their long-neglected prince, she naturally wouldn't refuse such kindness. After expressing her gratitude, she waited until Huiming turned around and left before quickly checking on Seventh Prince.

Little Seventh Prince was still quietly fiddling with his Buddhist beads. He seemed much calmer than before and wasn't frightened by the palace maid who had just served them ginger tea.

Fortunately, the weather was cold, and the palace servants were all well-behaved. It seemed that her decision to bring the little prince to see the Emperor despite her illness was the right one. Although she knew the child she had raised single-handedly very well, Mama Wang still breathed a sigh of relief. Ignoring her own cold, she first stuffed the hand warmer into the little prince's hand and was about to comfort him when she saw the little prince raise his head and look in the direction of the palace maid's retreating figure.

Mama Wang coughed lightly and followed Seventh Prince's gaze towards the corridor. Only then did she realize that the palace maid had not only kept a good distance when she spoke and handed over the items but also hadn't looked at Seventh Prince at all. Even when she spoke, she had deliberately lowered her voice.

It was as if she knew about Seventh Prince's condition and was deliberately being careful.

Mama Wang muttered to herself, then shook her head dismissively. In Seventh Prince's current situation, it was already fortunate that he met a palace maid who didn't bully the weak. How could there be anyone who would pay special attention to his condition?

Although they had waited in the cold wind for more than half an hour, with the ginger tea and hand warmers, they felt much better. Unfortunately, the Emperor didn't summon Seventh Prince in the end. After hearing the news, he only rewarded them with some fabrics and writing materials before sending them back.

Although Mama Wang was a little disappointed, this was within her expectations. She comforted Seventh Prince, "We'll come more often. When His Majesty is free, he will definitely see you." With that, she led Seventh Prince slowly back to Consort Kang's palace. She originally wanted to return the teacups and hand warmers and thank the kind palace maid again, but she couldn't find her after searching for a while.

Although Mama Wang treated Seventh Prince with kindness, she was old after all, and her cold hadn't fully recovered. At this moment, she was only focused on enduring her discomfort and didn't notice that Seventh Prince, who was holding her hand, was frequently looking back, as if searching for someone.

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