In the palace, Gu Yunxi wrapped a boiled egg with the clean handkerchief, carefully rolling it on Zhiqi's face.

Previously, Zhiqi had served Concubine Yu, Gu Yunyao in Jingyang Palace. When Gu Yunxi's face was changed into the original appearance, she often went into the Palace and visited Gu Yunyao. Hence, Gu Yunxi once saw Zhiqi several times.

Zhiqi sat on a chair, seeing every decoration and furniture in the Palace with sad eyes. She described the past things in a crying voice.

"As soon as I come back to here, I am always reminded of the day when I served Her Grace, Concubine Yu. In that year, she went to the Jiangnan Feudatory together with the Seventh Prince. But she could only take Lord Zhao and Song Qin away, so that we were sent to other palaces and took tasks there. Today I fortunately come across you. If I meet others, I must have been beat to death."

Hearing that, Gu Yunxi was sympathetic in mind. She took the safflower oil on the table, carefully rubbing it on Zhiqi's bruises.

Zhiqi ached and changed her expression, but she still bit her lips and said nothing.

Gu Yunxi admired her adamancy and couldn't help being grieved. While rubbing the oil, Yunxi said.

"Please endure it, as the safflower oil is the best medicine for your bruises. Later I will fetch you some mermaid bead's powder. When you finished washing your face at night, you can apply the mermaid bead's powder mingled with glycerin to your face. And all your bruises will disappear on the next day."

Time was as fluid as the water. One year later, when Yunxi stepped into the large and deep Palace again, things were still there, but the people were no more the same ones.

It was not much better than she came across her old friend indeed. Therefore, Yunxi brought Zhiqi to Jingyang Palace and applied medicine to her in person.

The chief maid Dong Zhu stood by and watched them. She glanced at Zhiqi and coldly sneered.

"You are so lucky! After all, you are just a ninth-rank maid in laundry, but our master should apply medicine for you in person."

As Zhiqi was moved, tears scalded her eyes. She hustled to get up.

"Your Grace, you are so kind and generous. I can never repay you, so I just make some kowtows to you here."

Then she kneeled and kowtowed again and again. Each kowtow of Zhiqi was made deeply and firmly, as a result, the ground was pounded and banged.

Dong Zhu swayed her shoulders, shifted her eyes and appeared proud.

Yunxi was astonished, directly pulling Zhiqi up. With some pities, she looked at Zhiqi's forehead with green and red bruises, stuffing the half bottle of Safflower Oil into Zhiqi's hands.

Then she turned around and coldly looked at Dong Zhu, ordering.

"You go to our private kitchen and see whether the lunch is prepared or not. Tell the cooks, after lunch I want to drink the sweet cubilose soup. So you let them make preparation ahead of time."

Dong Zhu lowered her mouth and casually saluted, going out of the palace.

Gu Yunxi held Zhiqi's hand.

"You go with me, and I will give you something."

Zhiqi was nervous and amazed, lowering her head and muttering.

"OK."

When they went to the bedroom, Gu Yunxi took out a silver elliptical box engraved with flowers in gilding from the small drawer in her dresser made of Tanmu.

It contained abundant mermaid bead's powder from Eastern Sea. Applying this kind of powder mingled with apricot petals' powder on the face was extremely good for the skin.

If Yunxi added one small scoop of this kind of powder to the bath water mingled with milk and roses' sap, all her scars on the body could be cured.

The mermaid bead of Eastern Sea was produced by the large and human-like fish only living in Eastern Sea. The bead had seven different colors and was as staunch as the colored glaze, which was one reason the mermaid bead was more valuable than the common pearl.

In order to gain the mermaid bead, those bead gatherers must go out to sea in groups and risk catching mermaids in the boat. Then they hurt those mermaids with the blade.

When the mermaids ached, they shed tears. In the air, those tears would be coagulated into seven-colored beads. It was just the scene of shedding tears which were transformed into beads in tales.

And it was also said that the mermaid belongs to a holy race in the world. Those mermaids always occurred in the stormy sea, so that when people in fleets tried to catch the mermaids and gain the beads, plenty of bead gatherers were often injured or died.

It was the second reason for the mermaid bead was valuable and rare.

The box of mermaid bead's powder held by Yunxi was sent by Huanan Xin. When people in Eastern Sea just gained mermaid beads, they selected one hopper of square mermaid beads as large as the pigeon's egg. With quick horses, those people incessantly went to send those beads into the Palace. As soon as the mermaid beads were in the Palace, Huanan Xin ordered servants in Shanggong Bureau to mash them into powders with the gold tool and sift those powders with the sifter made of gauze repeatedly. Then those sifted powders were contained in a delicate box. Eventually, Huanan Xin ordered servants to take the box into Jingyang Palace in order to delight his beloved woman, Gu Yunxi.

But Yunxi casually gave it to a common maid, generously saying.

"Just take it away! It is the fresh mermaid bead's powder, and I give it to you."

Zhiqi clearly knew the box of mermaid bead's powder was so valuable. So she hustled to go backward, not daring to take it casually.

"Your Grace, you are so kind and generous. Please do this good deed thoroughly, let me join your palace."

Zhiqi kneeled again and sadly cried.

Yunxi looked a little astonished, staring at her and slowly asking.

"You want to follow me?"

"Yes, yes."

Seemingly grasping a life-saving straw, Zhiqi crawled a step forward and firmly kowtowed.

"Your Grace, you are kind. I don't want to go back to the laundry anymore. Those managers there are all snobbish and wicked! Previously when my master, Concubine Yu was admired by the deceased emperor, they often flattered me.

But now there is a new era, and Master Yu also went out of the Palace. I can't rely on anyone so that when I make tasks in the laundry, I am often bullied by others.

Your Grace, you are Master Yu's little sister. When I see you, it seems that I meet my relative. Please be kind and allow me to join your palace. I really want to serve you."

Yunxi shifted her eyes and glanced at the bedroom's door, going ahead and holding Zhiqi up.

"Have you really made a determination?"

Zhiqi firmly nodded. She hesitantly glanced at Yunxi and hustled to humbly lower her head.

"But I don't know whether I will bring some trouble to you or not."

Gu Yunxi smiled.

"I don't care about the trouble, but if you really want to serve me, I will give you a suggestion. Except for me, when any others in Jingyang Palace asked you something, you can't give a right answer. When you confront something, you should be alert and will never casually take actions. Can you make it?"

Zhiqi's eyes appeared to be firm and serious.

"Your Grace, please believe me. Both you and Master Yu treat us well, so that I trust you. From now on, I take you as my only master forever. Hence, I will be completely loyal to you."

As a happy smile occurred in Yunxi's eyes, she said frankly.

"Good! I will immediately order servants to announce managers in the laundry. You don't come back to the laundry now. Later you just take a garment from my palace. After wearing it, you can individually serve me."

"Thank you so much, Your Grace."

After wiping tears, Zhiqi seemed to think something. She lowered her head and said in a slight voice.

"Your Grace, I, I am still dim about one thing. So I want, want to ask you."

Gu Yunxi softly smiled and took the box of mermaid bead's powder into Zhiqi's hands.

"You just ask."

Zhiqi looked so embarrassed, hesitantly saying.

"When the deceased emperor was alive, people in the Palace all know that you, you go along well with Master Leng of the Eastern Depot. Now you enter the Palace and become a concubine. Is it for the fact that Master Leng once tried to kill His Majesty?"

Gu Yunxi turned to be a little serious, but she didn't reply to her immediately.

Zhiqi was scared and changed her expression, just kneeling and fiercely kowtowing, "It's my blame. I shouldn't ask that..."

Gu Yunxi frowned and turned around, sitting on the rose chair. Then she indifferently ordered.

"You get up. I will ask you something."

Seeing Zhiqi obediently follow her rules, Yunxi was blank for a while. But then she continued to order.

"Within this year, some fresh messages in the Palace and something about the Eastern Depot and Master Leng, you all tell me."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Zhiqi stood politely and answered in a low voice.

"When I served Master Yu, His Majesty came back to the capital from Guiping. But he suddenly took a decree to ennoble someone and divide some feudatories. Soon the Seventh Prince and Master Yun were sent to the Jiangnan Feudatory.

At first, it was just peaceful and quiet in the Palace. But later all people in the Palace said that officials in the imperial court were replaced, and the persons in the Eastern Depot and all branches were also changed. Then a word occurred from the imperial court, which said that Master Leng of the Eastern Depot once led some people hiding in the Kunhuang Island and tried to kill His Majesty. But Master Leng failed, and some captains of the Eastern Depot were also secretly killed.

And then there was nothing important. Most of them said that you were honored as Concubine Yun in the third rank and took a rest in Yonglu Temple..."

Yunxi quietly leaned on the chair, as one foot wearing the shoe made of green silks embroidered with double fishes occurred in the hem of her ruffled skirt.

She looked clear and cold, with the slightly lowered eyelashes covering the deep hatred in her eyes.

"Zhiqi, do you believe those rumors?"

When Yunxi raised her eyes, there were beaming tears. Seeing that, Zhiqi was astonished and shook her head.

"Your Grace, what's wrong with you? I will never believe what others said, because I only believe your words."

Yunxi happily raised her mouth and wiped the watery eyes, sadly sighing.

"Previously my sister often told me, she was a bird with broken-wings and trapped in the palace. Now I can eventually feel her bitterness."

As her watery eyes shifted around, some clear tears fell.

"Zhiqi, although I live in the most splendid palace and enjoy the top meals, garments, and other great things in the world, I am not free. All day, I am stared by every people in Jingyang Palace. Being like couples of cold shackles, they firmly restrained my behavior."

"Your Grace..."

It seemed that Zhiqi had realized something, being both sad and decisive. She firmly swore,

"From now on, I will be your eyes and hands. I will try to protect you. Even if I have to risk jumping into the boiled water and burning flames, I will never regret it!"

Gu Yunxi ached her nose for Zhiqi's words, as she sadly smiled,

"So, I thank you. Besides, I once heard that one Royal Prince in the Palace went to the northwestern regions. Do you know which brother of His Majesty the man is?"

Originally, when Huanan Xin came to visit her, he talked with one eunuch. From their dialogue, Gu Yunxi gained this message.

Gu Yunxi felt confused, as when she took tasks in the name of "Tu Muxue" in the Palace, she knew except the Seventh Prince Huanan Lin, there was no brother of Huanan Xin.

But just one year later, he should have one another brother?

Gu Yunxi clearly knew that in Jingyang Palace, whatever the chief maid Dong Zhu or the eunuch who guarded in the door was dispatched by Huanan Xin, just in order to watch out for her. Hence, all of them couldn't be trusted.

Therefore, she would never casually ask them any doubt in her mind.

Zhiqi didn't conceal that, but directly answered,

"Your Grace, this Prince you asked is not His Majesty's brother, but his uncle. He is just the ninth Prince Huanan He who looks cold and indifferent."