Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 78: Keeping Each Other Warm

After the weeding was finished, everyone else went back to rest, but Wei Yingluo still had to wash a large pile of night-soil buckets.

Several gashes on her hands—cuts from the tough weeds—now burned with piercing pain the moment they touched water. While grimacing, Wei Yingluo soaked her hands in the bucket. Halfway through, a hand suddenly reached out from beside her and pulled her injured hand out of the water.

Wei Yingluo turned her head. “Yuan Chunwang!”

Yuan Chunwang glanced at her. “Call me Big Brother Yuan.”

Wei Yingluo’s mouth twitched. “That’s so cringey—I can’t say it. Let Jinxiu and the others call you that.”

“Forget them. I’m not interested.” Yuan Chunwang gave a lazy smile, suddenly pulled out a few strands of wild grass, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed them thoroughly, then spat out the pulp and applied it to her wounds.

Wei Yingluo was startled and tried to pull her hand back, but he explained, “This is Sonchus oleraceus—field sow thistle. It stops bleeding and reduces inflammation.”

Wei Yingluo was half-convinced, half-doubtful. After a while, a cool, numbing sensation spread over the wounds, and she realized he was telling the truth.

“People like us are born with worthless lives. In the eyes of the Noble Ladies, we’re just watchdogs guarding the house. Once we lose our usefulness, even if you die by the roadside, you’re nothing but a stray dog—no one will spare you a second glance.” Yuan Chunwang smiled as he spoke to her. “So don’t be so foolish. You have to cherish your own life.”

Wei Yingluo looked at him with complicated emotions. She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly being so kind to her. Did he have some ulterior motive?

When she came back to herself, the thought struck her as absurd. Perhaps he had once felt the same suspicion toward her—wondering whether her sudden kindness carried some hidden agenda.

The world is unpredictable; almost overnight, their positions and their thoughts had completely reversed.

After tending to Wei Yingluo’s wounds, Yuan Chunwang stood up—but instead of leaving, he turned around and began scrubbing the night-soil buckets for her. The sound of water splashing filled the air, accompanied by his clear, crisp voice. With his back to her, he said:

“No matter how much Fucha Fuheng loves you, it’s only because you’re young and beautiful, fresh and interesting. Even if you use every trick to marry into the Fucha family, after many years pass and the passion fades, will he still love you as deeply as he does now?”

He suddenly turned his head, smiled at her, and asked:

“Forget about the future—just look at right now. When you need him the most, where is he?”

Wei Yingluo’s face stiffened. She replied coldly, “None of your business!”

“If I don’t mind your business, then let him come help you scrub these.” Yuan Chunwang laughed.

Wei Yingluo struggled up from the ground and reached out to snatch the brush from his hand, but Yuan Chunwang raised his arm high. Though he was only a young man, his arms were long, and even when she stood on tiptoe, she couldn’t reach it.

“I’m doing this for your own good,” Yuan Chunwang said with a smile. The smile looked utterly fake no matter how you looked at it.

Wei Yingluo withdrew her hand and stared at him coldly. “Yuan Chunwang, I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Yuan Chunwang was momentarily taken aback.

“The moment you smile like that, I know what kind of mischief you’re plotting,” Wei Yingluo said gravely. “You’re not doing this for my sake. You’re just too lonely, so you want me to become like you—hating others, taking revenge on others, eventually turning into the same kind of person as you… That way you won’t be alone anymore. Isn’t that right?”

Yuan Chunwang remained expressionless for a long moment. Then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted, and the smile spread wider bit by bit.

Compared to his earlier smiles, this one was both eerie and strikingly beautiful—like a venomous snake slowly rearing up, sending a chill down one’s spine. Yet for some reason, Wei Yingluo felt that this was his true smile, one that came straight from the heart.

“The moment your eyes flicker, I know what kind of mischief you’re plotting,” Yuan Chunwang said. He seized her right hand, which was covered in wounds and scars, wrapping around it like a snake coiling around prey that interested it. A bright, eager light danced in his eyes. “We understand each other so well—it’s like looking into a mirror. How about this… stop liking Fucha Fuheng. Come and like me instead. Wouldn’t that be much better?”

“No thanks,” Wei Yingluo replied without the slightest hesitation, pulling her hand back. “Two snakes are both cold-blooded creatures. Can they really warm each other?”

Yuan Chunwang pressed his lips together. Rather than looking offended, he seemed to be savoring the word “snake.” In the end he appeared oddly satisfied and let out a soft, hissing laugh. “If we can’t warm each other, we can at least take care of each other! Wei Yingluo—what do you say to an alliance?”

Wei Yingluo hadn’t expected that word to come out of his mouth. “An alliance?”

Yuan Chunwang glanced around, then used a stack of night-soil buckets piled like a wall to climb up in a few quick steps. Standing on the top, he turned back and extended his right hand toward Wei Yingluo. “Come up.”

Wei Yingluo hesitated. This person was unpredictable and impossible to read with ordinary logic. Truthfully, she didn’t really want to get too involved with him…

Yuan Chunwang gave another eerie smile and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: “Wei Yingluo killed Manager Zh—”

“Shut up!” Wei Yingluo was shocked. Without waiting for his help, she scrambled up using the other buckets, hands and feet working together until she reached the top. She immediately clamped both hands over his mouth and hissed in a low voice, “Are you insane? If I get caught, what good outcome do you think you’ll get?”

Faced with the furious Wei Yingluo, Yuan Chunwang merely curved the corners of his eyes. His eyes were exceptionally beautiful—especially when he smiled. They seemed heartless yet full of feeling, carrying a bone-deep tenderness.

He lifted a hand and gently pulled her fingers away from his lips, then drew her down to sit beside him. Tilting his head back, he said, “Look.”

Wei Yingluo frowned and followed his gaze. Above them stretched the vast night sky, filled with countless stars that formed a silver river, quietly flowing overhead—and quietly flowing into her eyes as well.

“So what if someone is born of noble blood? In the endless river of stars, a person is just a tiny speck. Who is nobler than whom?” Yuan Chunwang’s voice sounded softly beside her ear.

Wei Yingluo slowly turned her head. He was still gazing up at the starry sky, ambition brighter than starlight shimmering in his eyes. He seemed to be murmuring to himself, yet also swearing an oath to the heavens: “One day, I will make everyone see with their own eyes just how far a low-born mongrel dog like me can walk, and how high I can climb, inside the Forbidden City!”

Wei Yingluo suddenly felt her fingers tighten. Looking down, she saw that he was gripping her hand hard. When she raised her head again, he had already turned to face her. A pair of eyes bright as stars stared straight into hers. His voice was extremely gentle, carrying an enchantment even more intoxicating than the night itself:

“Wei Yingluo, from now on, I am your older brother, your closest confidant, your protector—and the same goes for you! We rely on each other, support each other, and survive together in the Forbidden City!”

Wei Yingluo looked at him with a complicated expression.

No one can survive entirely alone—especially not in a hellish place like the Cleansing Department. And if she had to choose an ally, after thinking it over, the Yuan Chunwang standing before her was actually the best choice. Compared to Jinxiu and the others, he had brains, he had courage, and most importantly, each of them held something incriminating over the other.

A relationship built on shared guilt was sometimes far more unbreakable than even a marriage.

Once she made up her mind, Wei Yingluo immediately gripped his icy fingers in return and said solemnly, “All right. You look after me, I look after you. The two of us will survive together!”

Yuan Chunwang lowered his head to look at their clasped hands, then raised his head with a smile. “How about I become your lover too, alright?”

Wei Yingluo felt a pang of embarrassment in her heart. Why was he suddenly joking around when they were talking about serious matters? What exactly was going through this person’s mind? Seeing him lean his face even closer, taking advantage, she immediately reached out and pushed him. “In your dreams!”

Who would have thought that Yuan Chunwang seemed to have anticipated her move? The moment she extended her hand, he caught it. As a result, both of them lost their balance together and tumbled down from the top of the wall in a rolling heap, sending the night-soil buckets scattering in all directions.

Wei Yingluo winced in pain, struggling to sit up from the ground. Furious, she snapped, “Yuan Chunwang, you—”

“Hahaha!” Yuan Chunwang, on the other hand, was delighted. Even after they landed, he still didn’t let go of her hand. He pulled it to his mouth and bit down, leaving a shallow but distinct tooth mark. Staring at Wei Yingluo, he said, “I told you long ago—I can guess every single one of your moves. Stop wasting your energy. Come on, call me ‘big brother’!”

“Big brother my foot!”

Under the same night sky, some people were close at hand, others far beyond reach. Some used their teeth to bite Wei Yingluo, while others could only silently recite her name in their hearts.

“Sigh.” Inside Changchun Palace, the Empress sighed in front of the mirror, her expression weary, wanting to speak but holding back.

The healing ointments had long been prepared—not just one bottle, but more than a dozen piled on the table, enough to last ten years. With just one word from her, they could be sent to the Department of Punished Labor and placed in Wei Yingluo’s hands. Yet she hesitated for a long time before finally giving up.

The Emperor’s anger had not yet subsided. She feared that her momentary kindness might end up harming the other party instead.

“Your ladyship.” Ming Yu stood behind her, removing the hair ornaments from her head. “The imperial physician said you need to rest quietly and recuperate. Tomorrow the Empress Dowager is holding a banquet at Yujing Pavilion for the Chongyang Festival. Since you are with child, climbing heights is already inconvenient. Why not request leave in advance? The Empress Dowager has always been lenient—she won’t blame you!”

Before the Empress could reply, Erqing had already scolded, “Ming Yu, the Empress Dowager has been depressed ever since the matter with Dowager Consort Yu. Today she is forcing herself to hold this small Chongyang banquet. If the Empress does not attend, wouldn’t that dampen her spirits even more? Even if the Empress Dowager says nothing, what about the one in Chuxiu Palace? She stirs up trouble even when there’s no wind—let alone when Niangniang personally hands her a handle! When the time comes, Noble Consort will surely accuse the Empress of relying on her pregnancy to act spoiled and arrogant!”

Ming Yu pouted. “But Niangniang is clearly unwell…”

“Enough, enough.” The Empress laughed helplessly. “Look how nervous the two of you are. This palace is perfectly healthy—there’s nothing seriously wrong. I’m just feeling a bit lazy and don’t want to move around, that’s all.”

She spoke lightly, but in truth, over the past few days she had been feeling increasingly unwell. Still, she was extremely good at enduring; all her bitterness and fatigue were hidden deep inside, and others could hardly notice.

“Tomorrow, Erqing will stay behind. Ming Yu will accompany this palace to the banquet.” Looking at her increasingly pale face in the mirror, the Empress paused for a moment before adding, “…When the time comes, apply a bit more rouge for this palace.”

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