The Palace Stewardess

After hearing Lin Hong's description of the disaster and the plight of the refugees, Zhao Ai had originally devised a meticulous plan.

Suzhou belonged to the Zhexilu circuit. Decades ago, it had been elevated by imperial decree to Pingjiang Prefecture, but the people still referred to the city as Suzhou according to the old dynasty's custom. Early that morning, Zhao Ai went to the Pingjiang Prefecture government office. He presented the jade fish to Xu Jichuan, the prefect of Pingjiang, revealing his identity, and suggested that Xu Jichuan open the Ever-Normal Granary to provide relief to the disaster victims.

Xu Jichuan wore a troubled expression, and his words indeed echoed what Lin Hong had anticipated: "Your Highness may not be aware: using the funds and grain from the Ever-Normal Granary requires approval from the imperial court. A prefect has no authority to open the granary without authorization. The local Ever-Normal Granary has already been opened this year. Thanks to The Emperor's boundless grace, the relief efforts quickly stabilized the people's hearts. Now that the disaster situation in Pingjiang Prefecture has eased, the Ever-Normal Granary has been closed. The refugees from Shaoxing arriving here are actually due to inadequate disaster relief in their locality. These refugees are not under the jurisdiction of Pingjiang Prefecture. This humble official truly has no authority to use the local Ever-Normal Granary to aid them."

Zhao Ai had long expected such a refusal and calmly replied, "You local officials insist on checking household registrations before providing relief to disaster victims. But in The Emperor's eyes, all under heaven belongs to the royal domain. Whether from Pingjiang or Shaoxing, all disaster victims are his subjects. Now Pingjiang has surplus grain. The refugees from Shaoxing have come here to survive. If you turn a blind eye and let them fend for themselves, in The Emperor's view, it would be no different from his hungry youngest son visiting his eldest son's home, only to be driven out without even a bite to eat. Tell me, how would The Emperor feel seeing such a situation? And what would he think of Prefect Xu?"

Xu Jichuan broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this and said, "Thank you for your instruction, Your Highness. This humble official feels as if awakened by a sudden revelation, realizing how shallow my understanding was... I will immediately draft a memorial and have it delivered posthaste to Lin'an to seek The Emperor's approval, hoping he will grant permission to open the Ever-Normal Granary to aid the refugees."

Zhao Ai shook his head. "It's too late. By the time the memorial reaches Lin'an and is presented to The Emperor, it will inevitably follow the bureaucratic process and be discussed by court officials. Those officials can argue endlessly over trivial matters, and they may not all agree. Even if they eventually consent, the round trip will cause an unknown number of days of delay, and how many more refugees will starve to death in that time? Prefect Xu, you should make a decisive move now. Open the granary first to provide relief, and then submit a memorial to confess your fault and request punishment."

Xu Jichuan exclaimed in shock, "Acting first and reporting later—how... how can that be done!"

Zhao Ai smiled slightly. "I can assure you, as long as The Emperor sees that your action aims to pacify the people and save lives, he will absolutely not punish you. In fact, he may even reward you."

While Xu Jichuan still hesitated, Zhao Ai added, "This matter cannot be delayed. For each day without relief, the number of refugee deaths will increase significantly. Moreover, if people's basic needs for warmth and food are not met, they may become desperate. If they start causing trouble everywhere, how could Pingjiang Prefecture remain unaffected?"

With that, Zhao Ai set down his teacup, stood up, and said to Xu Jichuan, "There is an urgent matter at hand. I request that Prefect Xu dispatch some government soldiers to accompany me to quell it... We must set out immediately. If we are late, it may become difficult to manage."

As Zhao Ai requested, Xu Jichuan mobilized almost all available government soldiers and personally led them, following Zhao Ai to Shiyi Garden. Just as the local ruffians were shouting for the owner of Shiyi Garden to bring out money and distribute it, Zhao Ai's group arrived and positioned themselves behind the crowd. Zhao Ai instructed Xu Jichuan to hold his forces back for the moment and observe how the situation unfolded.Not long after, the local ruffians led the displaced people into the garden. Xu Jichuan dared not delay and, without waiting for Zhao Ai's orders, commanded the constables to swiftly enter the garden and arrest the instigators. Some residents who had mingled among the displaced people, hoping to take advantage of the chaos, saw the situation and cried out, "The officials are here!" before quickly scattering like birds and beasts. However, many hungry displaced people lingered, still smashing and looting throughout the garden.

Xu Jichuan found the scene chaotic, a mess everywhere, and deeply shocking. He felt Zhao Ai's words were justified, so he steeled himself, rode his horse toward the area where the displaced people were gathered, and shouted loudly, "The Ever-Normal Granary will soon open to provide relief to the disaster victims. Please go wait outside the granary!"

The constables followed his lead, repeating the message to the displaced people, who gradually stopped their actions and turned to leave the garden, heading to find the granary's location.

At this point, Zhao Ai still felt everything was under his control.

Increasing the print run of the small newspaper had caused the relief grain at Shiyi Garden to quickly fall short of demand, gathering a large crowd outside the garden in a short time. Zhenzhen had planned to print a thousand copies, which would likely only lead to noisy clamoring outside the gate. But if three thousand copies were printed, the number of people would multiply several times, and under the pressure of public anger, they might break down the gate.

Of course, he wouldn't let things spiral out of control. He had met with Xu Jichuan in advance and brought constables along. Once trouble arose, they would promptly arrest the troublemakers, ensuring Shiyi Garden wouldn't suffer excessive losses. This chaos also confirmed the problems with displaced people that he and Xu Jichuan had discussed, which would prompt Xu Jichuan to decide to open the granary for relief in a timely manner.

Moreover, this move could incidentally frighten Lin Hong and cause him some trouble. Besides, once the displaced people entered the garden, Lin Hong would likely panic, and when Zhenzhen saw this, it would surely damage his image in her eyes...

Zhao Ai couldn't help but smile, patting himself on the shoulder in his mind: killing several birds with one stone—what a genius the prince is!

However, he never expected that Lin Hong would actually pull Zhenzhen into hiding in a cave...

After the displaced people dispersed, Zhao Ai searched for Zhenzhen in the garden. Hearing from A Che that she and Lin Hong had been standing on the small hill of Lake Mountain Rock, he went to check, but the two were nowhere to be found on the hill. He then descended to search below.

Entering the cave, he found it dim and quiet, and a sense of foreboding crept into his heart. He slowed his pace and moved silently inward.

Sure enough, the two were in a secluded part of the cave. Lin Hong was holding Zhenzhen's face, leaning in to kiss her eyelashes. And Zhenzhen offered no resistance, her eyes closed, with a faint smile on her face!

Zhao Ai was furious and immediately wanted to step forward to stop them, but he was unexpectedly grabbed around the waist by A Che, who had followed him, and half-dragged back outside the cave.

"What are they doing? How outrageous! What kind of behavior is this?" he pointed into the cave and angrily confronted A Che.

A Che widened his eyes innocently, looking at him: "Lady Wu's eyes clearly had sand in them, and the young master was blowing it out for her!" Then, lowering his voice, he advised, "Your Highness, please speak softly. If others hear, they might misunderstand."

These words brought a sliver of reason back to his mind through the thick haze of anger: indeed, he couldn't make a scene. If this matter spread, Zhenzhen would surely face severe punishment.

So he could do nothing but rush to a large rock ahead and sit down angrily. Meanwhile, A Che had already turned back toward the cave, coughing loudly to signal the two to come out.

When Lin Hong and Zhenzhen emerged, Zhao Ai drew his sword, holding it in his right hand, and walked step by step toward Lin Hong.Contrary to Zhao Ai's earlier speculation, Lin Hong remained remarkably composed, showing no trace of fear or panic on his face. Even as Zhao Ai approached with his sword, Lin Hong did not falter, merely watching him calmly.

Yet there was a suspicious red mark at the corner of his lower lip.

Zhao Ai slowly raised his sword, pointing it at Lin Hong.

Zhenzhen immediately stepped forward, shielding Lin Hong, and demanded, "Second Great King, what are you doing?"

In that moment, a torrent of emotions—anger, heartache, resentment, and unwillingness—surged within Zhao Ai, churning relentlessly.

Is this all? Zhao Ai thought to himself. Despite Fengxian's attempts to dissuade him, he had devised every means to leave the capital, traveled thousands of miles to Wuyi Mountain, and rushed to Suzhou. Was this what he had come to see? He had always protected her, even silently enduring the sight of her intimacy with Lin Hong, yet she remained indifferent, her heart and eyes fixed solely on Lin Hong.

His eyes involuntarily reddened.

"Uncle," he finally said, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Hong, his sword still firmly pointed at the man. With eyes wide and a murderous aura, he declared, "There is dust on my sword. May I trouble you for a handkerchief to wipe it?"

Lin Hong was slightly taken aback but still retrieved a square cloth and handed it to him.

Zhao Ai accepted it, sheathed his sword, and slowly wiped the blade with the cloth. He then tossed the cloth back to Lin Hong, raised the sword, and tilted it slightly, allowing the cold gleam to sweep across Lin Hong's face. Only after blowing away a stray fiber from the blade did he return the sword to its scabbard.

"I'm leaving," he said to Zhenzhen.

His actions left Zhenzhen utterly bewildered. Hearing his sudden farewell, she was momentarily at a loss for words and simply nodded, saying, "Oh."

Zhao Ai had been waiting for her to ask him to stay, but she showed no such intention. Fuming, he turned and strode away, thinking all the while, "Three thousand tabloids are far too few. We should print thirty thousand!"

Lin Hong and Zhenzhen then directed the servants in the garden to clean up the aftermath. After another half day of work, they finally returned to the study to rest briefly. Seizing the opportunity, Zhenzhen asked Lin Hong, "Have you considered returning to the capital?"

Lin Hong remained silent, lost in thought. Zhenzhen pressed on, "On a public level, the principle of serving when the times are orderly—I've spoken of this before, and I'm sure you understand it better than I do. On a personal level... don't you want to see me often?"

Lin Hong turned his face away to conceal the smile that threatened to surface. "No."

Zhenzhen, smiling, turned toward him, determined to meet his gaze. "You say one thing but mean another. 'A pool of autumn water, a single moon—will my old friend come tonight?' San Niang told me that someone spent the entire Mid-Autumn night sitting alone in my room."

Lin Hong's ears began to flush red once more.

Zhenzhen grew even more intrigued and continued, "That day at Furong Pavilion, the moment you saw me, you addressed me as 'Palace Kitchen Supervisor Wu.' How did you know my official title? You must have inquired about me as soon as you arrived at the palace, eager to know how I was doing."

Lin Hong had no choice but to acknowledge this with a faint smile before saying, "Alright, I agree to return to the capital with you. But there is one condition you must agree to first."

Zhenzhen asked, "What is it?"

Lin Hong replied seriously, "The palace is unlike the outside world. Its rules are strict... you must no longer be disrespectful toward me."

Zhenzhen was momentarily stunned before realizing that "disrespectful" referred to the two times she had taken the initiative to kiss him. She blinked, leaned slightly closer to him, and whispered, "So... only you can be disrespectful to me?"

Lin Hong chuckled helplessly.

Zhenzhen gleefully noticed that his ears had turned even redder.

Yet he was not entirely defeated by her words. Calmly meeting her gaze, he glanced past her toward the door and called out to the empty air beside it, "Second Great King."Zhenzhen turned back in alarm, thinking how mortifying it would be if Zhao Ai had heard that shameless remark just now.

Seeing the doorway empty, she realized Lin Hong had been teasing her. Instantly flushed with both embarrassment and anger, and hearing Lin Hong chuckle aloud, she found herself overwhelmed with a mix of pique, infatuation, love, and resentment, with no way to vent it all. She could only rush toward Lin Hong, seize one of his hands, and bite down on its back.

Lin Hong continued smiling, sitting still and letting her bite until the pain became unbearable, then withdrew the hand she held.

That night, Zhenzhen still returned to Rongqiu Garden to rest. Lin Hong remained alone in his own room, packing his belongings. While sorting through books, he accidentally knocked over a small box, which fell from the shelf to the floor, its lid popping open upon impact.

It was a sandalwood box. At the sight of it, Lin Hong halted his movements, silently gazing for a moment before bending down to pick it up.

Inside the box lay only a single silver filiform needle for acupuncture, shimmering with a faint, thread-like gleam under the flickering candlelight.

Lin Hong lowered his eyes to look, the hand holding the box gradually beginning to tremble. After a short while, he snapped the lid shut with force, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and could bear to look no longer.

Just then, a cheerful call suddenly came from outside the room: "Uncle, open the door!"

Startled, Lin Hong immediately placed the wooden box back on the shelf before going to open the door.

Zhao Ai strode in, carrying a set of bedding, and said with a laugh, "Uncle, not asleep yet?"

Lin Hong was at a loss for words. Earlier that afternoon, seeing Zhao Ai leave, he had inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Returning to his room, he immediately instructed A Che and others to remove the meditation couch, scrub it repeatedly, and decided he didn’t want that bedding either, leaving it for A Che to dispose of as he saw fit. Then, in the privacy of his own space, he lit a stick of incense and instantly felt much more comfortable.

He never expected Zhao Ai would actually return.

Zhao Ai had come to a realization on his own.

Originally filled with indignation, he had abandoned Zhenzhen, spurred his horse into a gallop, and intended to return alone to the capital. But after leaving the city, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss: If I just leave like this, it won’t affect them at all. They might even feel less restrained, and Zhenzhen might need Lin Hong to blow away even more sand... In Zhenzhen’s eyes, does my angry departure mean we’ve cut ties? How would I even approach her again in the future?... If I leave, will Zhenzhen still stay in Rongqiu Garden tonight? Would Lin Hong pull her aside and ask her to remain in Shiyi Garden?

Thinking this far, he found it unbearable and immediately reined in his horse, turning back to gallop into the city.

In Shiyi Garden, Lin Hong said to Zhao Ai, who was holding the bedding, "Second Great King, unfortunately, the meditation couch you used was cleaned today and hasn’t dried yet, so it hasn’t been moved back. Perhaps I should have A Che prepare another spacious guest room for Your Highness."

"I know the meditation couch was moved out, so I asked A Che for bedding first," Zhao Ai replied. He walked over to Lin Hong’s bed on his own, laid down the bedding, and spread it out, then turned to Lin Hong—whose face had already turned pale—and said with a smile, "This is fate bringing us to share a bed... Uncle and I, we’re just destined to be together like this!"