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墨書 Inktalez
Once, during a mission, a girl from a wealthy family fell in love with him. As he was about to leave, she reached out her arms from behind and embraced his shoulders, not allowing him to go.
The girl was so beautiful, with a bright appearance, like a lotus emerging from the water.
Yet he never felt moved or softened.
In front of Xinrong, he suddenly realized he had softened; perhaps it was because they both worked for the same master.
Thinking this, he sighed and said softly, "I'll find a way to help you get it."
Xinrong looked up, her eyes shining with disbelief as she asked, "Really?"
"Yes." Qinglong paused for a moment, lightly snorted, surprised at himself for wanting to meddle in matters that did not concern him.
Helping the maid beside the young lady didn't seem like meddling too much.
With this thought, he felt a little better inside.
In the afternoon, the weather was unbearably humid. Old Madam called for a maid to prepare warm water to wipe her body; her back was already soaked with sweat, sticky and uncomfortable all over.
After getting so angry that morning, she needed ample relief.
Thinking of the Demoness made her feel anxious. Remembering how the Emperor had shown a wary expression when she spoke to him that day filled her with a sense of petty triumph. She thought to herself, "Demoness, you won't be proud for long; let's see who laughs last."
With this thought, Old Madam secretly clenched her teeth and asked those around her, "Is the warm water ready?"
The maid was a new servant. The old nurse who had been by her side for some time had been sent far away to Buddha Hall to pray for her. She wouldn't return for a year and a half, so she called over a young girl who seemed sensible and obedient to serve as her maid.
The maid was delicate and charming, and she knew how to handle things. When she saw this maid at the Slave Market, she immediately took a liking to her, thinking that if she could have her handle matters in the future, she would surely do it cleanly without leaving any traces. Thus, she bought her and named her Little Bean Sprout.
Little Bean Sprout blinked her big eyes, her face showing no expression, and respectfully said, "The warm water is ready. Please bathe in the room inside, Old Madam."
She lowered her head, her face filled with fear, clearly very nervous. However, her pair of bright eyes curiously scanned the surroundings as if they could emit electricity.
Seeing her would evoke an inexplicable fondness in one's heart.
"Alright, take me there. This weather is really uncomfortable," Old Madam complained as she extended her hand for Little Bean Sprout to support her while walking into the inner room. Behind a screen in the inner room was a faintly draped gauzy curtain.
On the screen was a painting of beautiful women; it was unclear from which dynasty it originated, but Little Bean Sprout knew it must be from a renowned artist; otherwise, it wouldn't be displayed in the Old Madam's room in the general's residence.
She assisted Old Madam in undressing and placed the clean clothes aside before quietly retreating.
Old Madam's room was quite peculiar. The outer area was a hall, while turning into the inner part led to a bedroom. Next to the bedroom was a shrine room where the ancestors of the Night Family were honored, along with a statue of Buddha.
Behind the shrine room was a study filled with various books and materials, but she did not know what they specifically contained.
It was said that this general's residence was strange; Old Madam never allowed her son to enter here. It was rumored to be a forbidden place for the Night Family, but the exact reason remained unknown.
Although she heard older servants say that Old Madam treated Night General poorly—sometimes even worse than how she treated a servant—this place must be very secretive since she did not allow her son to enter. Therefore, Little Bean Sprout dared not intrude.
She feared that one wrong step could cost her life; being a servant in such a powerful family required caution and prudence.
Thinking this way, Little Bean Sprout quietly lowered her head and stood at the door, waiting for any orders from Old Madam so she could respond promptly.
However, from a distance, she suddenly saw the man who had opposed Old Madam earlier that morning approaching.
In the morning, Old Madam was so angry, yet that man showed no fear and continued to block her way, acting as if nothing was wrong.
Thinking back to his cold expression from earlier, she felt a chill in her heart.
With that thought, she couldn't help but reach out to stop him, whispering, "You can't go in; Old Madam is taking a bath."
As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly, deliberately lowered to avoid drawing Old Madam's attention. Qinglong looked at this maid who had come to confront him with a puzzled expression, clearly unaware of the household's customs and even oblivious to his identity. He couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Qinglong remained silent, simply watching the woman before him with a cold gaze, pointing behind her. Little Bean Sprout turned to see that not far behind the man stood a young maid she had just seen that morning.
It seemed to be the maid beside Princess Fuyuan, who was admired by the general. The maid was leaning against a rockery, cautiously watching her and waving her hand as if signaling her to come over.
She felt a bit suspicious and glanced at the man before her in surprise. He truly was handsome, dressed in black with an embroidered azure dragon on his attire. His features were strikingly chiseled, like they had been sculpted.
Her face flushed slightly as she lowered her head and took small steps toward the rockery.
Qinglong flipped over the upper room's roof and waited for Little Bean Sprout to look back; by then, the man had already vanished.
She walked toward Xinrong and saw Xinrong smiling warmly at her, with delicate eyebrows framing her fair face. Xinrong took her hand.
"Bean Sprout, I am Xinrong, Princess Fuyuan's maid. Please guide me in the future."
With a smile, she discreetly placed a handful of silver into Little Bean Sprout's hand. In the sweltering summer heat, it felt cool and heavy in her palm, startling her.
She quickly declined, saying, "No, no, this isn't right."
As she spoke, she returned the silver back to Xinrong's hand. Being a new maid herself, she didn't understand the sordid rules among servants; as long as their master held a higher position, other servants of equal status would still rank above her.
If it were any other common servant in front of her, they would have likely put on airs by now and would have insisted that the silver wasn't enough. Xinrong was somewhat surprised by Little Bean Sprout's reaction; while chatting with her, she kept glancing back at Little Bean Sprout with concern.
"Older Sister, you must accept this. Old Madam has never liked our young lady. If our young lady ever offends Old Madam and makes her angry in the future, you must help by saying some good words for her or send a message to our young lady so she can be prepared!"
Xinrong said worriedly, her face full of loyalty to her master.
Little Bean Sprout couldn't help but feel surprised. Is there really someone in the world who worries so much about their master?
"Why are you so worried about your young lady?" Unable to hold back any longer, she finally asked.
"The young lady treats me like a sister and never sees me as a servant. I must be loyal to her, even willing to die for her," Xinrong replied, her youthful, clear eyes sparkling with a pure light, as transparent as crystal. In that moment, Little Bean Sprout felt a pang of envy.
She envied Xinrong for having such a good master; why hadn't she encountered someone like that?
"Actually..." Xinrong was still pondering what to say next to buy some time. Her anxious gaze turned toward Little Bean Sprout's back. Noticing her unusual expression, Little Bean Sprout turned around in surprise and asked, "What are you looking at? Is Old Madam calling for me?"
Surprised, she turned back, intending to return. Xinrong anxiously tried to grab her, but suddenly someone patted her shoulder from behind. The cold voice was devoid of any emotion as it softly said, "Let's go."
A hint of surprise crossed Xinrong's eyes, but she didn't ask further. She turned to Little Bean Sprout and said, "Sister Bean Sprout, please take care of us in the future. Thank you."
After saying that, she winked playfully at Little Bean Sprout and nodded before following Qinglong out.
Little Bean Sprout watched the two figures leave and felt an indescribable sense of strangeness in her heart. They didn't seem like servants but rather like old friends.
How strange; wasn't this man named Qinglong supposed to be bloodthirsty and ruthless? Why would he help a maid?
After walking quite a distance, Xinrong finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you find it?"
Her voice carried a hint of expectation, fearing he might not find what he was looking for and disappoint the young lady upon returning.
Qinglong extended his hand and handed her two earrings, saying, "I found them."
"How did you do it?" Xinrong exclaimed in surprise, unable to help but ask. "It's not difficult at all. Old Madam is just a woman, and there are no Shadow Guards around. I jumped onto the Upper Room roof, pried open a few tiles, and slipped in," Qinglong replied coldly, his tone carrying a hint of indifference, as if it were no big deal, even though it seemed incredibly difficult in Xinrong's eyes.
"Oh my god, that's how you got in? Wasn't there any noise?" Xinrong looked at him in astonishment, unable to stop her questions.
"What does that matter? I've trained to move silently while following the general. Otherwise, how could I become the general's personal Shadow Guard?" Qinglong said, his tone even carrying a hint of pride.
"Really? Old Madam was taking a bath, so you..." Xinrong's voice trailed off as she blushed and looked at Qinglong with an odd expression, as if she were staring at a monster.
Qinglong's expression darkened, his face turning an unusual shade of green as he coldly said to Xinrong, "You should head back quickly. If you dare to speak of this outside, even if you're Miss's person, I will eliminate you."
His voice was like a sharp sword, making anyone who heard it shiver involuntarily. However, Xinrong felt no fear; instead, she found it quite amusing...
For some reason, she believed that this man before her would not act as he claimed.
When she returned to Mo Xier's side, it was already well into the afternoon. Mo Xier was lying on a rocking chair, drowsy and drooling.
She carefully walked over and placed her things on the table beside her before continuing to sweep the floor gently. Unexpectedly, she stepped on a stone on the ground and startled Mo Xier awake.
Mo Xier frowned and reluctantly opened her eyes. Seeing Xinrong, she asked in confusion, "Why did you come back now?"
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