roccoschili Chapter 237 Eunuch
Chapter 237 Eunuch
Rong Su, who was eating lunch, suddenly felt that the taste was a little different.
"Did the royal chef change?"
Rong Suqing scooped up a spoonful of emerald tofu porridge. The emerald green was tinged with golden hues, which was different from the exquisite imperial kitchen in the past. It had a familiar warmth.
She savored it carefully, and the tofu was smooth with a subtle aroma of mung beans, which was the taste that Shen Peiqing often made for her at the Regent's Palace.
Memories came flooding back like a tide, as if I could see Shen Peiqing busy in front of the stove, and that gentle smile became clearer in the curling smoke.
Rong Su couldn't help but put down the spoon and stare at the meal in front of her. Ripples appeared in her heart and a warm current quietly climbed up her heart.
When Ah Cai saw Rong Su's expression, she quickly ran out to ask.
When Acai came in, she came in with a eunuch. Compared with ordinary eunuchs, the eunuch seemed to be slightly taller.
He lowered his head at the moment, looking respectful, but his back was still straight, with a kind of neither humble nor arrogant attitude that other eunuchs did not have.
"Miss, today's jade tofu porridge was made by the eunuch Liu Gong." A Cai glanced at the eunuch, then turned to report to Rong Su.
Rong Su looked at Liu Gong. For some reason, when she saw his figure, she thought of Shen Peiqing.
An indescribable emotion surged up. Rong Su looked at Liu Gong, and her heart seemed to contain thousands of words, but she didn't know where to start.
She tightened her grip slightly, grasping the edge of the table, her eyes fixed on Liu Gong, trying not to lose her composure. She forced herself to remain calm as she spoke to the eunuch in front of her: "Raise your head."
Liu Gong still kept his head down, maintaining his respect. Rong Su could not read his emotions from his lowered head. She was afraid that he would raise his head, but also afraid that he would not raise his head.
The sunlight filtered through the window lattice, dappling onto his shoulders and giving him a soft golden edge.
The next second, Liu Gong slowly raised his head. The face he saw was completely different from the one she missed so much in her mind, including the eyebrows and expressions.
When Rong Su saw Liu Gong's face, she felt mixed emotions as it was not Shen Peiqing whom she missed day and night.
The loss was like the falling leaves in autumn, floating gently but carrying a heavy weight that made her chest feel a little stuffy.
It's not him. He mocked himself in his heart, how could it be him? He had been killed by himself.
She smiled bitterly to herself, but at the same time, an inexplicable sense of security also quietly rose, as if the sky was clear after the storm. If he was still alive, she hoped that he could stay away from her and not come to find her, so that perhaps he would not be in danger.
Her eyes were complicated, with a barely perceptible hint of relief, and she let out a soft breath.
The sunlight continued to shine, stretching the two figures into long lines, intertwining them, yet each of them was distinct.
Rong Su slowly loosened her grip on the edge of the table, her fingertips turning slightly white due to the force. She forced a smile, which contained too many emotions: regret, gratitude, and acceptance of helplessness.
Seeing the sad expression on Rong Su's face, Ah Cai was a little confused and looked at Liu Gong. Could this eunuch look like someone the young lady knew? Or similar?
"Miss, is the tofu porridge I made not to your liking?"
At this time, Liu Gong suddenly spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse and low, and his tone was different from his. Only then did Rong Su completely understand that it was impossible for her to meet him here.
Because he is dead.
Rong Su closed her eyes for a moment, and after regaining her composure, she shook her head and looked down at the tofu porridge in the bowl.
"No. On the contrary, it suits my taste very well. Liu Gong, when did you come to the imperial kitchen?"
Liu Gong was neither humble nor arrogant. Facing Rong Su's question, he was calm and composed: "Miss, I came here half a month ago."
"Half a month?" Rong Su muttered quietly in her heart, then raised her head and looked at Liu Gong.
"From now on, you will be responsible for my meals. Is that okay?"
Liu Gong didn't show any joy, nor did he show any resistance. He simply lowered his head calmly and said, "As you command. I will do my best to take care of Miss's meals."
After Liu Gong left, Ah Cai came over, weighed the food, and asked quietly, "Young lady, do you seem very satisfied with the meal prepared by this eunuch?"
Rong Su picked up the bowl again, scooped up the food with a spoon, savored it, and smiled faintly.
"It reminds me of a time long ago when someone made a meal like this for me. It was delicious."
After hearing this, Ah Cai understood that the young lady was missing her family. She couldn't help but decide in her heart that she must get along well with the eunuch in the future so that the young lady could always eat the meals she wanted.
-
"This is?"
Rong Su was sipping tea by the window when suddenly an alluring aroma wafted into her nose, and she couldn't help but look in the direction of the scent.
I saw Liu Gong walking towards this side, holding a plate of freshly baked shortbread in his hand. The shortbread was bright in color, with a hint of amber in the golden color. The surface of the shortbread was sprinkled with finely chopped green onions and sesame seeds, like stars, which was very tempting.
Hot air rises, carrying the aroma of green onions and noodles, slowly spreading in the air.
Rong Su swallowed unconsciously. Liu Gong placed the plate of pastries in front of her and saluted her with a respectful and focused expression.
"Greetings, young lady. I've brought you some freshly made butter cakes today."
"Butter cake?" Rong Su was attracted by the golden butter cakes.
Unable to resist the temptation of the fragrance, she reached out, picked up a piece and put it into her mouth.
When you take a bite of the butter cake, the layers of crispness instantly bloom in your mouth, just like the first snow touching the tip of your tongue, which disappears into thin air with a light touch, but leaves behind endless fragrance.
The aroma of oil and flour are interwoven just right, neither greasy nor dry, with a hint of salty fragrance and the freshness of chopped green onions, as if dancing between the taste buds.
Rong Su chewed the food carefully, enjoying every bite. The golden crumbs stuck lightly to her lips, adding a touch of cuteness to her.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, because the taste reminded her of a beautiful moment.
The smell was the same as the butter cake she had bought from that old man. But the smell was still there, but the person who had been standing beside her was gone.
A feeling of sadness suddenly surged from my heart, and a drop of hot liquid fell from my eye socket and dripped onto the butter cake.
Suddenly, a white handkerchief appeared in front of me.
Rong Su was slightly stunned. Through her blurred vision, she looked at the handkerchief, then moved her eyes to the slender white hand, and then to the pair of equally dark and bright eyes. Liu Gong stared at her indifferently.
"Miss, I saw you crying. I'm sorry, the pastries I made today were not to your liking and made you cry."
Rong Su didn't know why. Liu Gong looked nothing like him, neither in voice nor appearance, but why did he look at her with an indescribable emotion in his eyes?
She looked at the handkerchief he had been holding in the air, and finally reached out to take it, whispering, "Thank you."
Liu Gong shook his head, his voice as clear as the wind, as if there were not many waves in it: "Miss, I will not make this kind of pastry for you again in the future."
Hearing this, Rong Su subconsciously asked, "Why?"
Liu Gong stared into her eyes and was silent for a while before he spoke: "I made the young lady cry. Since this cake has stirred up your sorrow, I deserve to die. Please punish me, young lady."
As he spoke, Liu Gong knelt down in front of her, lowered his head, and his whole body exuded piety.
The more this happened, the more uncomfortable Rong Su felt. She was no longer sure if she missed Shen Peiqing too much. Why did she think of him again when she saw Liu Gong? She shouldn't be like this.
Rong Su closed her eyes, tightened her clenched hands again and again, and finally loosened them.
When she opened her eyes, she had regained her composure, but she no longer looked at Liu Gong.
"Liu Gong, get up. I just got my eyes blown by the wind accidentally, that's why I'm like this. I'm not crying. Don't mind it. And, this shortbread. I love it."
When Liu Gong heard this, for the first time, without her permission, he raised his head and looked at her, his dark eyes gazing at her with a hint of depth:
"Miss, do you really like it?"
Rong Su looked at the depth in his eyes and was stunned for a moment, and a vague sense of familiarity came over her again.
But when she looked more closely, the depth in Liu Gong's eyes suddenly disappeared, leaving only indifference.
"Yes. I'm tired. You can leave first." Rong Su forced herself not to mistake Liu Gong for Shen Peiqing. She looked away and waved to Liu Gong.
Liu Gong lowered his head, said nothing more, and left silently.
When Liu Gong left, Rong Su couldn't help but look at his back, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
-
"Miss! Don't eat it!"
Rong Su was scooping a spoonful of soup and was about to put it into her mouth when suddenly Liu Gong came over and slapped the spoon away from her hand.
His expression was horribly serious.
Rong Su was slightly surprised, and then realized something and looked at the spoon that fell to the ground.
The spoon fell to the ground, spilling soup all over the floor.
A layer of purple poisonous gas spread over the soup.
Seeing this scene, Rong Su frowned, thinking that the soup was poisonous.
Ah Cai also saw it and exclaimed, "Ah! It's poisonous! We must report it to His Majesty immediately!"
Seeing that Acai was about to go out, Rong Su hurriedly wanted to call her to stop, but there were other palace maids there, so she immediately shut up and let Acai leave.
Mr. Liu took out a white handkerchief, handed it to her, and said calmly, "Miss, wipe your hands."
Rong Su began to feel more and more strange about the eunuch in front of her. How could he be so calm? Was it because he had seen many such things in this deep palace, so he could act indifferent?
Taking the handkerchief, Rong Su glanced at him sideways and said in a cold voice, "Aren't you responsible for my meals?"
Without saying a word, Liu Gong knelt in front of her and respectfully confessed his guilt.
"It's my fault. I was careless. I didn't check it carefully before sending the dishes to the lady."
It seemed that Mr. Liu did not mean to exonerate himself, but he also implicitly told her that someone had mixed in the bowl of soup during the delivery process.
While I was thinking about it, Acai and several guards walked in.
A Cai looked at Rong Su with a sad expression. It seemed that she felt guilty for not being able to invite Shen Fengyu.
Rong Su knew that Shen Fengyu would not come, so she must not care about the poison at all. After all, the poison in her body was nothing compared to that little poison.
"Greetings, young lady. His Majesty has asked his subordinates to handle this matter. Please return to the palace first." The leading guard saluted Rong Su.
Rong Su didn't care much about it. She actually guessed who poisoned her.
All the concubines in Shen Fengyu's harem are tough guys.
In fact, he had used many tricks on her in secret, but Shen Fengyu had sent people to deal with them before. It was just that he failed to prevent it this time. It might be that a certain concubine had reached the point of desperation and took such a risky move.
Returned to the inner hall.
Ah Cai came to her side nervously and worriedly: "Miss, are you okay? Do you need to ask the imperial physician to come and see you?"
Rong Su shook her head. Listening to the footsteps coming in and out of the outer hall, she felt very annoyed.
"No problem."
Thinking of something, she looked at Ah Cai and whispered, "If something like this happens again in the future, as long as it doesn't involve my life, don't report it to His Majesty."
After hearing this, Ah Cai became even more anxious and puzzled: "Miss, how can this be possible?"
Knowing that Acai was the only one in this huge harem who truly cared about her, Rong Su was naturally grateful.
But there were some things that she also didn't want her to be involved in.
"Acai, the harem is very deep. Just do as I say."
Acai wanted to say something, but Rongsu's expression was very serious. She opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
When Rong Su lit a dim oil lamp and started making medicine in the middle of the night, he would always hear a very light flute sound outside.
The sound of the flute was like crying and complaining, like a lonely soul floating in the night sky, carrying endless sorrow and loneliness.
Every time at this time, Rong Su would stop the pestle in his hand and listen quietly.
The sound of the flute seemed to come from far away, yet it also seemed to linger in my ears.
The mournful melody is like fallen leaves in the cold wind, floating gently down, but with reluctance and helplessness, which makes people feel pity.
Rong Su closed her eyes, and seemed to be able to see the person playing the flute, dressed in plain clothes, standing alone in the night, with a sad face and empty eyes looking into the distance.
The sound of the flute seems to be telling a sad and beautiful love story, but the ending is not good.
Tonight, she started making medicine again, and that moving melody arrived as promised.
This time, Rong Su began to show some interest in the owner of the flute.
Picking up the palace lantern, she followed the sound of the flute and walked towards the west courtyard.
Soon, they arrived at a desolate courtyard.
Looking up, I saw that the name of the courtyard was Jingyuan Courtyard.
If I remember correctly, Acai once said that this courtyard has been abandoned for a long time and few people come here.
As for the reason, it was probably because several concubines died here one after another.
Of course, those concubines were concubines of several emperors.
Rong Su should have stopped here, but she still wanted to know what kind of person the owner of the flute was. The sound of the flute was so sad and mournful. She might not have been able to hear the mystery in the past, but now she could hear some meaning.
As she walked in, she raised the palace lantern in her hand.
Faint lights illuminate the road ahead.
Just at the corner of the desolate courtyard, there was a slender figure.
The owner of the figure seemed to have heard her footsteps. He slowly put down the flute in his hand and turned around.
When she saw his face, Rong Su was slightly stunned. It was Liu Gong.