Chapter 287: Volume 1 Chapter 287 Empress x Courtesan (17)

Jiang Zhi heard its praise and gave a hehehe laugh.

The villain wouldn't let her die so easily, and besides, she has lost all her memories now, so the villain certainly wouldn't kill her.

What's the point of taking revenge on someone who doesn't even remember their own evil deeds?

They must be waiting for her memories to return before taking revenge on her.

She thought for a while, then drifted off to sleep in a daze.

Outside the dilapidated window, a black shadow appeared, standing in place for a long time until the sky began to lighten, then it left.

Jiang Zhi, who woke up at noon, heard a harsh shout.

"Get up! It's already daylight, what are you still sleeping for?"

Jiang Zhi opened her sleepy eyes, just about to turn over and continue sleeping, when the blanket covering her was yanked away.

"Get up for me!" the person grabbed her arm and dragged her outward.

Jiang Zhi barely managed to make out the fierce palace attendant before her.

Wearing granny's clothes, with a ferocious visage, sharp and bitter, her stare felt like countless fine needles, making one uncomfortable.

Jiang Zhi scratched her head, glanced at the outside sky, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Granny Wang spoke very quickly, spitting out droplets like a Gatling gun.

"Do you think it's comfortable in the Cold Palace? At dawn you must go to the Laundry Room to wash clothes for the nobles; you slept until noon, so today you must work six hours before you can eat."

Six hours equals twelve hours; it's now 1 p. m., and she needs to work until 1 a. m.

Even office workers who work overtime find this so hard.

Jiang Zhi wanted to resist, to rebel!

But thinking of her mission, she endured, resignedly following her to the Laundry Room.

The Laundry Room is where the inner palace nobles' clothes are washed; she washed for five or six hours, and finally got news from the palace attendants working alongside her.

Just from last night alone, the inner palace gained over a hundred new people; the Laundry Room, which had been idle to the point of near closure, is now extremely busy, with more than ten people up and down still unable to finish washing.

Jiang Zhi was so angry she gritted her teeth.

Well, you Wen Ci, just waiting a day, huh?

Beside her lay a mountain of clothes; her hands were raw from washing, so painful she could only wrap them in cloth strips and continue.

Finally, after washing past 1 a. m., she finished.

When she stood up from the small stool, her head felt dizzy and heavy, she almost fell, but managed to steady herself.

Having not eaten all day, her stomach was so hungry it felt numb.

She swayed back to the Cold Palace, lay down on the blanket, and soon fell asleep.

After who knows how long, in a hazy consciousness, someone lifted her hand, and the pain from the cloth-wrapped wound woke her.

She opened her eyes to see a youth half-kneeling beside her, applying medicine; his black hair hung over his shoulders, his once androgynous beauty now matured, his features deep and angular, a face of extreme handsomeness, his brows and eyes stern, tightly furrowed.

Jiang Zhi, unable to restrain herself, reached out and tapped a finger on his brow.

After a brief pause, the youth suddenly stood up, gazing at her dark eyes with complex and deep emotion.

Jiang Zhi lowered her hand after finishing the bandage, smiling and saying, "Thank you."

The youth turned to leave.

Jiang Zhi asked, "Are you leaving?"

The youth's footsteps paused for a few seconds in place, then he vanished from her sight.

Jiang Zhi didn't want to spend all day washing clothes here; after he left, she hurriedly got out of bed, grabbed a few pastries from the table, wolfed down two, and left the Cold Palace.

Following her memory, she arrived at the East Gate of the palace exit.

The high walls blocked the distant view; heavy guards were stationed at the gate, making escape impossible even if she had wings.

As Jiang Zhi prepared to return home, she turned around and two black shadows were already standing there; her heart tightened, and before she could run the opposite way, those two figures seized her, knocked her out, and took her away.

…

Waves of cold washed over her; Jiang Zhi slowly woke up, the light blinding, she curled up on the ground.

"Keeping this woman alive will surely bring disaster."

"But the gu worm is tied to its master; if she dies, Your Majesty will certainly notice."

"Your Majesty cares so much for her; if she dies, neither of us will survive."

Jiang Zhi heard unfamiliar voices in her ears, and couldn't understand what they were saying.

She could only stay where she was.

The black-clad person on the left said, "There is still another way."

Everyone's gaze fell upon him.

In the black-clad person's eyes lay vicious intent: "Poison her."

"Your Majesty is the gu master and won't be affected by poison, but she is different; if the gu worm dies from poison, she will die too."

"But what poison can accomplish this without anyone knowing?"

"Hundred Flowers Blossom; this poison will slowly kill the gu worm, causing no harm to the body, and even an old poison whip would detect no trace of toxin."

"Yes."

Jiang Zhi watched as they drew nearer; when the poison pill was about to touch her lips, a loud boom came from outside.

"Boom—"

The black-clad person's head fell off instantly, blood spraying all over her, the strong smell of blood making her nauseous.

The youth stepped up to her, rubbing his fingertip across her cheek to wipe away the blood.

Jiang Zhi wanted to shrink back, but he wouldn't let her retreat, gripping her shoulders tightly with astonishing strength.

Her voice trembled slightly: "You... why?"

Repeatedly helped her.

Without uttering those words, she was lifted up by the youth and taken away.

She did not return to the cold palace; instead, she came to the sleeping palace that led out from the underground chamber.

After the youth set her down and left the room, only she remained, sitting peacefully on the bed.

Lowering her head to look at the poison pill in her palm, upon hearing footsteps outside, she clenched it tightly and put it away.

Behind the youth followed an oddly dressed old man, his hair white as snow, his face covered in strange black markings.

Old Poison Whip approached to examine her brain; Jiang Zhi flinched, stared at him nervously, and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Old Poison Whip smiled kindly, "I'll help you cure your illness."

Jiang Zhi shook her head seriously, "I have no illness."

Old Poison Whip felt embarrassed, turning his head to look at the young master.

Wen Ci approached, forcibly gripping her wrist and dragging her before Old Poison Whip.

After Old Poison Whip finished a careful examination, he immediately said, "She is not poisoned."

Having said that, he seemed trapped as he stroked his beard and said, "As for why she lost her memory, I suspect it is due to a gu worm."

While they were talking, Jiang Zhi suddenly took out the poison pill and held it to her lips, saying to them, "Who exactly are you? Why have you imprisoned me here?"

Old Poison Whip instantly recognized the poison pill in her hand as Bai Hua Yan.

This poison has a lovely name, yet it has nothing to do with flowers; anyone infected with gu who swallows this poison will, within less than half an hour, have their body turn into a pool of bright red blood, as lovely as blooming flowers.

"No!" Old Poison Whip's eyes nearly burst, he stared fixedly at the poison pill in her hand and exclaimed hoarsely.

Jiang Zhi didn't understand why her death had anything to do with him; his agitation was so great that she almost thought this old poison whip was her long-lost father.

The youth's expression remained calm; with a lift of his finger, the poison pill flew into his palm.

Jiang Zhi didn't even know what had happened.

"Do you think suicide can threaten me?" the youth's expression gradually turned sinister, a hint of madness appearing, even madder than the original owner.

In the blink of an eye, the youth seized her throat and pressed her against the edge of the bed, his tone soft yet icy to the extreme.

"Only I can decide your life and death."