Chapter 48 Severed Finger

Although Yu Singsheng was truly grateful to Hao Mengye, she did not trust him entirely.

They were merely helping each other out for now, not friends.

Upon hearing that Jin Baobao was going to help them with some work, Yu Singsheng immediately grew suspicious.

"You are just a young girl, what kind of work can you do for them? They are the Red Dragon Guard, what kind of people can't they find to help? Why would they need you?"

Jin Baobao blinked: "People like me are hard to find. I'm clever, fast on my feet, and can fight."

Yu Singsheng: "..."

She grabbed Jin Baobao and refused to let go: "No, I'm going to find out what this work is. I'll go do it."

Jin Baobao's smile faded slightly: "Why? Is the young lady concerned about me?"

"Of course," Yu Singsheng said matter-of-factly. "You are my maid, so naturally I must care for you and take responsibility for you. I am restoring paintings for them, and they are helping me—that is already a fair exchange."

"I cannot drag you into this as well."

Jin Baobao pouted and suddenly gave Yu Singsheng a tight hug: "Young lady, you are so kind."

"If I'm kind, then listen to me," Yu Singsheng said firmly. "After we eat, I'll go have a word with them. We are not doing it. You will rest here with me."

Jin Baobao sniffed: "Alright."

After finishing dinner, Jin Baobao brought Yu Singsheng her medicine.

"Young lady, drink it while it's warm. This is the medicine prescribed by the doctor. I heard his medical skills are exceptional."

A designated physician of the Zhenning Tower—how could his skills be anything less than exceptional?

After drinking the medicine, Yu Singsheng drifted into a deep sleep shortly thereafter.

Jin Baobao carefully applied ointment to her wounds, re-bandaged them, and closed the bedroom door.

Not far away outside the door, Hao Mengye had changed into night-travel garments and tossed her a blade and a mask.

Jin Baobao put on the mask, handed the blade back to him, and instead drew a small, gleaming, upturned-tip dagger.

"I'll use this."

The night was dark and the wind was high.

Hao Mengye was well-acquainted with the routes in and out of the palace.

Wearing her mask, Jin Baobao followed closely behind him and whispered in a low voice, "Is this the same path my young lady took during the day?"

"No," Hao Mengye replied in a deep voice. "She was summoned by imperial decree, while you are sneaking in like a thief. Can they possibly be the same?"

Jin Baobao let out a soft huff.

"Ahead is the Empress's residence. Can you scale that wall?" Hao Mengye asked, pointing toward the tall and thick palace wall.

"No," Jin Baobao answered crisply. "I can run fast, but I can't fly."

Hao Mengye: "..."

He had no idea what madness had possessed him.

Perhaps it was because he had seen the red rashes all over Yu Singsheng's face, or her fingers swollen like little radishes, or the way she kept restoring paintings without a single cry of pain despite her injuries, or perhaps he simply could not stand the arrogant and domineering behavior of that Senior Official Song.

Clearly a servant herself, she still looked down on others and forced Yu Singsheng to address herself as a humble servant with such righteous arrogance.

Hao Mengye grabbed the back of Jin Baobao's collar, vaulted over the palace wall, and landed lightly inside the Empress's palace grounds.

By this time, the night was deep, and the patrolling palace maids and eunuchs were dozing off.

Jin Baobao reached the covered walkway, bypassed the night-watching eunuch, gently pushed the door open, and entered the inner chambers, where she spotted a night-watching maid.

She pointed inside, but Hao Mengye, standing outside the door, gave a slight shake of his head.

Wrong person.

Jin Baobao backed out again, and Hao Mengye pointed toward the side rooms.

If she wasn't on night watch in the main hall, she had to be in the side rooms.

Senior Official Song's room even contained several ice basins. As a premier senior maid by the Empress's side, she was far above ordinary palace maids and enjoyed higher status than even some out-of-favor imperial concubines.

She was fast asleep. Having bullied Yu Singsheng again today, although she felt she hadn't quite had her fill of torment, her mood was nevertheless quite pleasant.

As for why she harbored such hatred for Yu Singsheng, it initially stemmed from sensing the Empress's aversion toward the girl; since her mistress despised Yu Singsheng, she naturally multiplied that hatred tenfold.

Later, upon seeing Yu Singsheng's breathtaking and otherworldly beauty, jealousy took root in her heart. Every man in the secondary residence seemed inclined to steal a few extra glances at Yu Singsheng, and had the Empress not issued early warnings forbidding anyone from damaging Yu Singsheng's face, she would have long since slashed that face to shreds.

Even now in her dreams, she was relishing the triumph and exhilaration of that moment.

So what if she was beautiful? Being beautiful with a wretched fate only made for a more miserable end.

Just as she was half-asleep and dreaming of carving eighteen slashes into Yu Singsheng's face and severing several of her fingers,

Suddenly, something seemed to flicker before her eyes.

She half-opened her eyes, and indeed, a shadow was flickering right before her. It was no dream!

She instantly snapped awake, her eyes wide. There were neither lamps lit nor moonlight in the room; only a ghostly face was faintly visible, sticking out a vivid, blood-red tongue.

Senior Official Song was so terrified she wanted to scream, but the moment she opened her mouth, a foul-smelling object was shoved straight down her throat, choking back her voice.

At the same time, the ghostly face spoke in a low, terrifying voice: "You harmed my brother, and I am here to avenge him!"

Senior Official Song trembled violently, her eyes bulging as if they might pop out of her head. In the next instant, the ghost grabbed her hand.

Her hand rose, and the blade fell.

...

Jin Baobao followed Hao Mengye out of the palace and onto the main street before finally removing her mask and letting out a heavy breath of relief.

Hao Mengye suddenly asked her, "Why did you tell her that she harmed your brother?"

"I just said it on a whim. Let her rack her brains guessing!"

"To this day, you still firmly believe your brother was wronged?"

Jin Baobao's smile vanished as she gazed up at the moon emerging at the edge of the sky: "Of course."

Early the next morning, when Yu Singsheng woke up, Jin Baobao was nowhere to be seen.

She bolted upright, trying to recall why she had fallen asleep so abruptly last night and wondering if Jin Baobao might have run into danger. Just then, Jin Baobao pushed the door open carrying a food box.

"Young lady, you're awake?"

Yu Singsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Jin Baobao was safe and sound, her heart finally settled back into place.

Having slept soundly through the night, her energy and spirits had recovered significantly, and even her complexion had improved.

As the two of them chatted casually while eating, an uninvited guest arrived outside the door.

Su Yanshu carrying several packages of candied fruit, cupped his fists in salute to the Red Dragon Guards: "Please be so kind as to announce my presence. I wish to visit my cousin Yu Singsheng. I beg the Grand Commander to show some leniency."

Hao Mengye had just finished washing his hands: "Not seeing him."

"Grand Commander, Su Yanshu has just returned from the Eastern Palace, accompanied by Su Huaishan's personal guards, and he's carrying luggage. By the looks of it, he is about to set out on a journey."

Hao Mengye narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment: "He's about to leave, yet Su Huaishan has just returned. Where is he going? Su Huaishan brought back a so-called mountain bandit, and Su Yanshu first goes to the Eastern Palace before preparing to leave—this matter is definitely connected to the Eastern Palace, and also to the Su family."

"And before leaving, he comes to check on his cousin, putting on a show of deep sibling affection. This matter must certainly be related to Yu Singsheng as well."

A sarcastic smirk curled the corners of Hao Mengye's lips: "Since it connects to all three, then it must point to Kong Dezhao."

"Let him in, and bring him directly to the door of the lounge."

"Understood."

Yu Singsheng had just finished eating and was chatting idly with Jin Baobao while beginning to work on her paintings when Hao Mengye walked in.

"Miss Yu, Su Yanshu is here and wants to see you."

Yu Singsheng's smile froze: "Can you turn him away?"

"We can, but I think you should see him. Since he's about to leave, it should have something to do with Kong Dezhao. Don't you want news regarding that?"

A quarter of an hour later.

Su Yanshu was led to the entrance of the lounge, where the iron door slammed shut, leaving not even a crack.

His heart pounded wildly. Originally, his mind had conjured up several bloody scenes and he had prepared himself mentally, but standing now before the iron door where nothing could be seen at all, that sense of the unknown and uncontrollable was far more agonizing.

"Second Young Master," Hao Mengye approached from the side, a handkerchief in his hand still stained with traces of blood, "say whatever you need to say right here."

"You have a quarter of an hour."