At dawn, the little eunuch on the night watch shouted in the courtyard, "Who put this stuff here? I almost tripped over it!"

Hearing that, Zhiqi came out of the main hall.

"What are you doing? Her Grace is still asleep. Can't you be a little bit quieter?"

"Here, take a look!"

The little eunuch threw the bamboo basket into Zhiqi's arms and rubbed his sour back neck, replying crossly, "That's odd. I've been guarding under the window all night. Why didn't I see any thieves entering our palace?"

"..."

Zhiqi put her hand into the basket with puzzlement and groped carefully so as to avoid the sharp thorns on the stem of the wild roses inside.

Suddenly, something came into her mind. The look in her eyes changed slightly. She slowly smiled, saying to the little eunuch, "Oh, I was the one who left it here. I went to the kitchen and I almost forgot it. Thank you!"

With this, she carried the basket, preparing to return to the palace. But just as she turned around, she saw that the chief maid Dong Zhu was looking at her coldly.

"Madam..."

Zhiqi lowered her head uneasily.

Dong Zhu stared at Zhiqi, smiling meaningfully, "Wild roses only grew in the mountains. So you mean you were capable of duplicating yourself and flying out of the palace to get them?"

Zhiqi clenched the handle of the basket, nodding and replying timidly, "Madam, there are also some nigrum fruits in this basket. The rashes will break into thick blisters in two days after Her Grace is infected with smallpox. Scrubbing the affected area with the slurry of nigrum fruits can relieve itching and dry it. This is the folk prescription of my hometown. Last night, my father-in-law, who checked the water wagon, went out of the palace to find some. So I unlocked the gate of the palace and brought over such stuff."

Dong Zhu grabbed over the bamboo basket. When her fingers touched the wild roses, she immediately winced as a sharp pain shot through her fingers. Then she looked at Zhiqi, "Listen, an assassin showed up in the palace last night. The Eastern Depot and Honour Guards came here four or five times. You all have to be vigilant. If I find out you are involved with the assassin, you'll be in big trouble!"

With this, she gave the back of Zhiqi's hand a painful tweak.

Zhiqi suffered in silence, nodding her head.

"Zhiqi, give the basket to me."

Gu Yunxi's tender voice slowly came through the window.

Taking a look of Dong Zhu, Zhiqi raised her voice out of thin air, "OK! Your Grace, I'm coming!"

Dong Zhu blushed and drooped her eyes, saying to the maids around her, "Show's over. Your Grace has woken up. Let's return..."

Seeing off Zhiqi step into the Main Hall, the little eunuch squinted his eyes and got close to Dong Zhu, whispering to her, "Madam, the chick's always been trying to fawn on our master."

Dong Zhu whispered something into his ear.

Hearing that, the eunuch grinned and trotted to the outer garden.

There was a vicious sneer on Dong Zhu's face. Then she turned around leisurely as if she had nothing to do with this.

Zhiqi walked into the bedroom, held the bamboo basket in front of Gu Yunxi and said with a smile, "Your grace, look."

Gu Yunxi gazed at the bright flowers in the basket for a moment and then her eyes lit up, "Is... is it from my darling?"

Zhiqi nodded repeatedly and her eyes turned red, "It must be, must be! Otherwise, how could your whole hands be pierced? At such critical moments, His Highness still thinks of you."

Facing the flowers, Gu Yunxi had strongly mixed feelings. For such a while, she was speechless.

Then when Gu Yunxi noticed the bruise on Zhiqi's hand, her face clouded, "Dong Zhu picked on you and pinched you again?"

Zhiqi showed a wry smile. She covered the bruise with the other hand and faced to another side, "It's nothing. She's always been like this."

Gu Yunxi frowned and thought for a moment. Then she quickly untied the wound band around her hand. She appeared somewhat calm, "Something's wrong. Last night, someone from the Eastern Depot mentioned that there was an assassin in the palace. The basket of flowers will give them a chance to come again..."

Zhiqi was stupefied, "I just palmed Dong Zhu off with an excuse. The Eunuch Dian who carries the water is our man. What are you afraid..."

Gu Yunxi's face clouded and she took a look at the window lattice vigilantly. Then she said, "Dong Zhu is a trouble-maker. There wouldn't have been any trouble If you hadn't recognized that basket. I bet Huanan Xin will send someone over soon."

Zhiqi's hands were trembling with fear and she immediately knelt on the ground, "Sorry to bring you such trouble! No matter what, you have to think of a way to protect yourself."

Gu Yunxi slightly lowered her head and sniffed the fragrance of the flowers. There was not much panic on her face. Instead, she smiled coldly, "We are on the same boat, and I'll guarantee the safety of both of us. But we will probably suffer a bit."

—

Meanwhile, in Qinming Hall, the Emperor slapped the royal desk, lurching to his feet and scolding Yue Xilou, "Loser! I've given you two hundred Honour Guards, but not even one assassin was captured! I'd better raise a dog instead of you!"

Yue Xilou was on all fours and suppressed the strong resentment and discomfort in his heart. On the surface, he was still trying to please the Emperor, "That's all my fault! I'm incompetent. I'm a loser. Please calm down. And please give me one more chance."

"Humph!"

Huanan Xin's handsome face clouded over with anger. He flapped the royal sleeve angrily and sat back onto the royal chair.

Yue Xilou kept his head down, putting on a severe countenance, promising, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. It's the duty of the Eastern Depot to solve problems for you. I'll trace it to the end. I'll skin and kill anyone who dares to hurt you!"

Huanan Xin sneered, "You are talking rubbish! The assassin killed himself and now you've got no clues! How could you keep investigating on it!"

Yue Xilou immediately lowered his head to the lowest.

Only he knew best that when the people surrounded the man in black by the koi pond last night, he felt something was wrong when watching the man's outfit.

Seeing that there was no chance to fight back, the assassin bit his tongue and killed himself without any hesitation.

After that, Yue Xilou took off the black mask covering the face of the body and immediately got surprised and angry.

The guy was not an outsider. He was a secret guard from the Eastern Depot.

In the Eastern Depot under the command of Yue Xilou, someone broke into the Palace at night and wanted to hurt the Emperor.

Huanan Xin could not tell the Emperor the truth no matter what.

At the moment, what Yue Xilou was thinking was how to palm off the Emperor. Then he would investigate the sly and try his best to find out the traitor.

Just at that time, Chief Eunuch Liang Zhen entered the hall. Then he saluted the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, hot news from the Jingyang Palace...."

...

As Gu Yunxi expected, just after lunch when Doctor Zhang came to feel his pulse, Liang Zhen brought someone to take Zhiqi to palace residences of concubines.

Zhiqi was grabbed by two eunuchs, crying and refusing to leave.

The Jingyang palace, which had only been quiet for a few days, fell into chaos again.

It was inconvenient for Gu Yunxi to go out of the bedroom. Thus she lay on one side in the bed, scolding, "B*stard! This girl has always been my own maid. How could you take her away as you wish! Now I'm ill and His Majesty can't come. You slaves think I won't be pampered by His Majesty and try every means to trample me, right?"

"Alas, you really misunderstand us! His Majesty says you have to take medicine in a proper way as you are sick. Zhiqi took the liberty of taking something outside the palace, which was against the royal law. Thus she should be punished to warn the others."

Liang Zhen's face was covered under the white towel and there was no expression on it. When he braced himself to say such things, his eyes kept looking sideways.

In fact, he dared not to enter the Jingyang Palace.

Everyone knew that smallpox was deadly and Liang Zhen feared a lot that he would be infected.

When he stood here, he was uneasy, feeling painful, itchy and out of place.

Then Liang Zhen motioned to his men, "What are you waiting for? Get her away now!"

Hearing that, the two eunuchs pushed and dragged Zhiqi outside the hall.

"Get off me! I won't go there! If you are out to condemn me, you can always trump up a charge! Even if I die, I will die in the Jingyang Palace...."

During the struggle, Zhiqi's sleeve was torn open, revealing a small arm.

A eunuch, with sharp eyes, immediately let go of Zhiqi and retreated in panic. His fingers pointed at Zhiqi, trembling, "She... she..."

For a moment, the hall was silent. More than ten people saw that the girl's arm was covered with red rashes.

With an "ah", Dong Zhu rubbed her hands on the skirt.

Liang Zhen quickly stepped back to the gate of the hall, clucked and sighed, "Alas, how did you also get infected with that disease?"

Zhiqi knelt down and sobbed, "Isn't it normal for a maid who serves the master day and night to get sick? You want to take me to palace residences of concubines, aren't you afraid that I may infect other people in the palace?"

Liang Zhen swung his arms in disgust and stormed out, leaving the words, "Fine! Stay here and don't go anywhere else."

Zhiqi got up coldly under the frightened gaze of everyone, looking Dong Zhu in the eye and slowly stepped forward.

Dong Zhu burped in shock and her blood ran cold, retreating with a guilty conscience and fear. When she spoke, she seemed to be tongue-tied, "You, you, you... what are you trying to do? You are sick... stay away from others..."

Zhiqi suddenly halted, sneering, "Fine, whatever you say. According to reason, you are the chief maid of the Jingyang Palace and should accompany the imperial concubine. But now both I and the imperial concubine are infected with smallpox. In order to prevent you from infecting smallpox, I'll serve the imperial concubine in future instead of you, OK?"

"No, I need to wash my hands. I touched her hand at noon..."

Dong Zhu was sweating all over. She lifted her hands in the air, preparing to run out of the hall.