Xia Zhi clung to Zhong Li like a sticky little tail, his fingertips gently tugging at the corner of Zhong Li's robe. He took each step cautiously, afraid that hurrying would pull Zhong Li. The two walked along the palace wall toward the west. Early morning sunlight filtered through the tall pagoda tree, casting fragmented light spots on the bluestone path; when the wind blew, the spots swayed, like scattered pieces of gold across the ground. Zhong Li couldn't help but glance around, trying to find a trace of familiarity in this unfamiliar palace—but all he saw were red walls and black tiles. The mythical beast carvings on the eaves were fierce yet majestic. Occasionally, palace maids in cyan robes hurried past carrying food boxes, their eyes lowered in caution, even their breathing light. This rigid, solemn atmosphere was utterly different from the freedom and equality of modern society.
"Brother Zhong, our cleaning area is up ahead—just two more steps and we'll reach the lake!" Xia Zhi's voice pulled Zhong Li back to his senses. Following the boy's pointing finger, he saw an open stretch of water not far away. The lake was so clear that the pebbles at the bottom were visible; occasionally, a few silvery-gray small fish swam by, their tails flicking to disturb the water's calm. Large patches of emerald green lotus leaves floated on the lake, their edges slightly curled. Some leaves still held early morning dew, which glistened like pearls in the sunlight. A few white lotus flowers were in bloom, their petals layered, with pale yellow stamens emitting a faint fragrance. But due to the remote location, no one came to admire them—their petal edges had wilted slightly, carrying a tinge of loneliness.
A dozen meters from the lake stood an octagonal pavilion. Most of the red paint on the pavilion's pillars had peeled off, revealing the dark brown wood underneath; some parts were even riddled with insect holes, with tiny wood shavings visible. A thin layer of dust covered the stone table and stools inside the pavilion; when the wind blew, the dust drifted down. A corner of one stone stool was chipped, as if hit by a heavy object. Zhong Li stopped, a surge of emotion rising in his chest—this place, with its mountains, water, and flowers, should have been a wonderful spot for viewing scenery. But because it was remote, it had become a cleaning area for lowly eunuchs. Even the spiderwebs in the pavilion were left uncleaned, and weeds in the corner grew taller than one's knees, exuding an air of abandoned desolation.
"Brother Zhong, why aren't we moving?" Xia Zhi looked up at him, confusion in his eyes. "If we dawdle a little longer, the sun will get scorching, and the work will be even harder later."
Zhong Li snapped back, gently patting Xia Zhi's shoulder: "It's nothing. I just think this place is a pity. With such a nice lake and beautiful lotus flowers, if someone took care of it, it would definitely be the most beautiful spot in the palace."
Xia Zhi scratched his head, smiling shyly: "Guys like us don't have the right to think about such things. Having a place to work and food to eat is already good enough." He paused, then lowered his voice to add: "I heard other eunuchs say before that this lake used to be the favorite spot of the late emperor's beloved concubine. After the concubine passed away from illness, the Queen Mother thought this place was inauspicious, so she sealed the pavilion and even forbade nobles from approaching the lake. Slowly, it became what it is now."
Zhong Li suddenly understood—so this place had such a past. He bent down to pick up the broom placed by the lake. The broom handle was made of old bamboo, covered with rough burrs that pricked his palm—this would be the tool he relied on to make a living from now on. Gazing at the lake, he suddenly thought this kind of life might not be so bad. At least it was quiet; he wouldn't have to deal with those sycophantic eunuchs or deliberately curry favor with anyone. As long as he finished his work every day, he could go back to the small room with Xia Zhi and cook some millet porridge. It was simple and poor, but stable.
But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the system's warning sounded in his head: [Host! Immediately abandon the idea of "living a stable life"! Your task is to cling to Ying Zheng, not to be a "recluse" here! If you continue to slack off like this, be careful of triggering Level 2 punishment!]
Zhong Li frowned, retorting mentally: "I want to find Ying Zheng too, but he's confined to the side courtyard by the Queen Mother. Am I supposed to break in? That's just asking for death! Why don't you show me a clear way?"
[The system only issues tasks; the specific implementation is up to the host to figure out~] The system's voice carried a hint of schadenfreude. [But don't worry, Host—the plot aura will help you. An opportunity will come soon~]
Zhong Li was about to argue more with the system when suddenly, a rush of footsteps came from a distance, accompanied by a eunuch's shrill scolding: "Stop! You little brat, how dare you steal steamed buns from the Queen Mother's palace! Hand over the stuff, and I'll spare your life!"
The sound drew closer, mixed with the "thud-thud" of a wooden stick hitting the ground. Zhong Li's heart tightened; he instinctively pulled Xia Zhi to hide behind a nearby willow tree. The dense willow branches hung down, just enough to cover their figures. He peeked out quietly and saw a boy in a faded brocade robe running toward the lake. The boy's robe was stained with mud, and there was a tear in his left sleeve, revealing the gray undergarment underneath. His hair was messy, sticking to his forehead, and there was a bruise on his temple—clearly, he had been hit. He held a cloth bundle tightly to his chest, which bulged prominently. As he ran, a few crumbs of white flour steamed buns peeked out from the corner of the bundle—it seemed he had stolen food to escape.
The boy ran fast, but his steps were unsteady, obviously exhausted. His heavy breathing could be heard from far away. Just as he ran near the willow tree, Zhong Li's heart skipped a beat—it was Ying Zheng!
Even though the boy's face was covered in dust and his hair was as messy as a bird's nest, his eyes gave him away—those dark, slanted phoenix eyes, with the corners slightly upturned, held stubbornness and reluctance inside. He looked exactly like Ying Zheng back in college, when he had failed at starting a business and sat on the rooftop drinking beer. Back then, Ying Zheng had also been like this: clearly on the verge of tears from sadness, yet forcing himself to stay strong, saying, "It's okay, we can just start over." The boy in front of him, though in ancient times and a prince by status, shared an astonishing similarity with the Ying Zheng in his memories—both carried an unyielding resilience.
Countless images flashed through Zhong Li's mind in an instant: in high school, the two had climbed over walls to go to an internet café together, and Ying Zheng had covered for him to avoid the security guard; in college, when he lacked funds for his startup, Ying Zheng had lent him all his savings; and on the day he confessed, Ying Zheng's eyes had been filled with apology yet firmness... These memories flooded in like a tide, making his nose tingle and tears nearly fall.
"Brother Zhong, what's wrong?" Xia Zhi noticed his oddity and whispered, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine," Zhong Li sniffled, suppressing the emotions in his heart. "Don't make a sound—let's watch what happens first."
At that moment, Ying Zheng suddenly slipped and fell heavily to the ground. The cloth bundle in his arms fell out, and several hard white flour steamed buns rolled onto the dewy grass. He didn't even bother to rub his sore knees; he quickly got up to pick up the buns. But just as he stuffed them back into his arms, the pursuers behind him had already caught up.
"Well! You little brat, keep running! Why have you stopped?" The leader was a slightly fat eunuch with a scar on his face, stretching from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth, making him look particularly fierce. He held a black wooden stick with an iron tip. Walking up to Ying Zheng, he kicked the boy's leg: "The Queen Mother has ordered you not to step out of the side courtyard. How dare you steal steamed buns and run away? You've got quite the nerve!"
Ying Zheng stumbled back two steps, yet still held his head high stubbornly, his eyes as cold as ice: "My mother is ill—she needs steamed buns to regain her strength. Why won't you give them to her?"
"Why?" The scar-faced eunuch sneered, raising his hand as if to slap Ying Zheng's face. "Because your mother is a discarded concubine! Because the Queen Mother has the final say! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll never learn the palace rules!"
Zhong Li's heart rose to his throat; he instinctively wanted to rush out to stop them—he couldn't bear to see Ying Zheng being hit. Even though the boy in front of him wasn't the Ying Zheng from modern times, those eyes and that stubbornness made him unable to stand by and do nothing. But reason stopped him—he was just a lowly cleaning eunuch now, no match for the scar-faced eunuch at all. Rushing out recklessly wouldn't save Ying Zheng; it would only get himself and Xia Zhi into trouble too.
[Host! The opportunity is here! Hurry up and help Ying Zheng! This is the perfect chance to boost favorability!] The system's voice exploded in his mind, urgent. [As long as you help him out of this predicament, Ying Zheng's favorability toward you will definitely increase!]
Zhong Li gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and pulled Xia Zhi out from behind the willow tree. He forced a look of appropriate timidity on his face, his steps unsteady, as if he were terrified: "S-Sirs, w-what are you doing here? This place is so remote—how could there be... be a noble here?"
The scar-faced eunuch turned to him, eyes full of wariness: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Replying to you, Sir—I'm Zhong Li, the eunuch in charge of cleaning the west area. This is my assistant, Xia Zhi." Zhong Li deliberately bent over, humbling himself as much as possible, his voice trembling. "W-We just came to work and heard noise over here. We thought it was a wild dog, but it turns out it's you, Sirs... A-Are you catching... catching something?"
As he spoke, he quietly winked at Xia Zhi. Xia Zhi immediately understood, also bending over and speaking timidly: "Y-Yes, Sir. We didn't see anything. We'll go sweep the floor right now and won't disturb your work."
The scar-faced eunuch sized Zhong Li up and down. Seeing Zhong Li wearing a faded gray eunuch's robe and holding a broom, he didn't look like he was lying, so his tone softened slightly: "This has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and go sweep! Don't get in the way here. If you dare to tell anyone what you saw today, I'll skin you alive!"
"We dare not! We dare not!" Zhong Li nodded quickly, pulling Xia Zhi to leave. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ying Zheng looking at him with complicated eyes. A wave of hesitation rose in his heart—if he left like this, not only would he fail to help Ying Zheng, but Ying Zheng would also think he was a coward. Gaining Ying Zheng's trust in the future would be even harder.
He stopped, as if suddenly remembering something, then turned back. From his arms, he took out a crumpled coarse flour steamed bun—his breakfast for the day, which he had originally planned to save for lunch. Holding the steamed bun with both hands, he offered it to the scar-faced eunuch, forcing a ingratiating smile: "Sir, you must be tired after chasing for so long. This is my breakfast for today. If you don't mind, please take it to fill your stomach. W-We seem to have seen a dark figure running east just now—maybe that's the person you're looking for?"
The scar-faced eunuch froze. He looked at the steamed bun in Zhong Li's hand, then at the east direction, hesitation creeping into his heart—he had chased Ying Zheng all the way and was indeed tired. Besides, the east side was the palace wall; if Ying Zheng had really run that way, he definitely couldn't escape. Snatching the steamed bun, he took a bite and mumbled: "You're sensible! Let's go—check the east side! If we can't find anyone, we'll come back and settle the score with this brat!"
With that, he led several young eunuchs toward the east. Before leaving, he didn't forget to glare at Ying Zheng: "You wait for me! If I find out you dared to run around, you'll regret it!"
When the eunuchs' figures disappeared around the corner, Zhong Li finally let out a breath—his back was already soaked with cold sweat. He turned to look at Ying Zheng, who was squatting on the ground, carefully picking up the steamed buns that had fallen earlier. He wiped the mud off them with his sleeve and tucked them into his arms like treasures.
"Are you okay?" Zhong Li walked up to him and asked softly. "Did they hit you just now?"
Ying Zheng looked up, his eyes filled with complexity—wariness, confusion, and a hint of imperceptible gratitude: "Why did you help me?"
"I..." Zhong Li paused, then smiled gently. "I just thought it was too pitiful for a young man like you to be bullied by so many people. Besides, I don't want to see trouble happening in my cleaning area. If the head eunuch finds out, I'll be punished again."
He deliberately hid his true thoughts—he didn't want Ying Zheng to think he was deliberately currying favor, nor did he want to reveal that he knew Ying Zheng's identity.
Ying Zheng stared at him for a few seconds, then didn't press further. Instead, he took a white flour steamed bun from his arms and offered it to Zhong Li: "Take this. You gave your steamed bun to them just now."
Looking at the snow-white steamed bun, a warm current surged through Zhong Li's heart—in this era, white flour steamed buns were rare treasures. Ying Zheng was unwilling to eat them himself, yet he was willing to share one with him. Zhong Li shook his head and smiled: "No, keep it. Your mother is still waiting for it. The coarse flour steamed bun is fine for me."
Ying Zheng said nothing; he just pushed the steamed bun into Zhong Li's hand: "Take it. My mother still has two—they'll be enough for her."
Looking at the boy's stubborn eyes, Zhong Li felt something warm tap his heart. He took the steamed bun and whispered: "Thank you."
"No need to thank me," Ying Zheng stood up, patting the mud off his clothes. "I should go now. From now on... if you ever need help with anything, you can come to the side courtyard to find me."
With that, he turned and walked toward the side courtyard. His steps were still a little unsteady, but much firmer than before.
Watching his back, Zhong Li held the still-warm white flour steamed bun in his hand, a flood of emotions welling up in his chest—this time, not only had he not made Ying Zheng hate him, but Ying Zheng had even offered to help him. It seemed the first step in boosting favorability had finally succeeded.
[Congratulations to the Host! You have successfully gained Ying Zheng's initial trust! Favorability +10! Current favorability: -20 (increased from -30 to -20)!] The system's voice sounded in his mind, cheerful. [Keep going, Host! Keep up the good work, and you'll soon get the favorability into positive numbers!]
Zhong Li smiled and said nothing. He just turned to Xia Zhi and said: "Let's start working too. Finish early, and we can go back to cook millet porridge sooner."
Xia Zhi nodded, picking up his broom to start sweeping. But his eyes kept glancing at Zhong Li, as if he had something to say.
"Just say what you want to say," Zhong Li noticed his hesitation and smiled.
"Brother Zhong, you were so brave just now!" Xia Zhi's eyes sparkled. "Before, you never dared to talk to those powerful eunuchs. Today, you even dared to give them a steamed bun and helped that noble... Brother Zhong, you really have changed—you've become stronger."
Zhong Li patted his head, warmth filling his heart: "It's not that I've become stronger. I just think there are some things that should be done, no matter what. Besides, as long as we don't look for trouble, we don't have to be afraid of it either."
Xia Zhi nodded, half-understanding, and swept even harder with his broom. The sun rose higher, shining on the lake, turning the water into a glittering sheet, like scattered pieces of silver across the surface. Looking at Xia Zhi, who was working diligently beside him, and holding the white flour steamed bun Ying Zheng had given him, Zhong Li suddenly felt a sense of stability—perhaps, in this unfamiliar ancient world, he really could survive, change his own fate, and even... change Ying Zheng's fate.
He looked toward the side courtyard, thinking silently: Ying Zheng, when we meet next time, I will make you trust me a little more, like me a little more. This time, I won't let you walk down the path of becoming a tyrant, and I won't let myself repeat the fate of a cannon-fodder either.