"Where's Little Anko?"
"She came back before dawn to pack her things and leave the palace."
Somewhere in the Yingchun Palace, someone was chatting like this.
"Leaving the palace? How long has she been back?"
The twilight before sunrise permeated the palace walls, and most of them had already woken up before dawn, busy preparing for the next day's work.
And those like Xiao Hongdou who spend the first half and the second half of the night usually only do one thing after dawn.
rest.
The night watch is not only required in His Highness's bedroom, but also in the ladies' places. If everyone takes turns, they will have to stay up late once every two weeks.
After staying up all night, no one will have the energy to do anything else.
As usual, Xiao Hongdou would go straight back to the Yingchun Palace after the night watch. At most, he would drink a bowl of soup that nourished the liver and spleen and then rest. The other sisters would naturally not say anything because everyone was on duty for the night. People know how hard it can be.
But just because I know it, I feel strange now.
You've obviously been on duty all night, but you don't even have time to rest. Are you about to leave the palace?
"Why is Mi Niangniang like this...!"
It was an angry voice complaining about injustice.
Although Xiao Hongdou was talked about a lot in the Yingchun Palace, this unreasonable work arrangement not only fell on Xiao Hongdou, but might even fall on herself in the future.
Naturally, I complained for her and myself.
"Oh, please keep your voice down, it's nothing to do with Empress Mi." Someone corrected her.
"It's His Highness's order."
After saying this, everyone seemed to be silent for a moment.
They also all know that Xiaohongdou is favored, which makes sense.
"It's Your Highness again." Someone spoke, with some resentment in his voice.
"It's not just Your Highness, but this is too tiring. I might be exhausted one day..."
"That's right, it was the same one who was ordered to guard the door for several days and nights last time. You said that in the past His Highness was... more like that. Although he doesn't have those thoughts now, he still seems to be so ruthless."
"It doesn't matter if it's ruthless. Xiao Hongdou goes in and out of the dormitory and the middle palace frequently now. If I have this opportunity, I will also..."
"Why, you only saw thieves eating meat, but you never saw thieves being beaten? I won His Highness's favor. Of course, when the world is so busy, I can't run away from it. If I have time to gossip here, I might as well get ready for the morning!"
A strong voice interrupted these whispers. It was obvious that the owner of the voice had some status among the palace maids, so those girls who still wanted to say a few words stopped there and said no more.
"By the way, when reporting to Empress Mi, remember to mention that Yi Chengcheng from Bianzhou came out of the palace with Xiao Hongdou."
"Okay, Sister Sisi."
Looking at the crowd of palace maids who had dispersed, Lu Sisi finally relaxed her stern face. Her expression immediately became a little worried, and she looked in the direction of the Hanging Sun Gate, which was blocked by the wall of Yingchun Palace.
"Concubine Chi...do you really have no chance?"
She whispered to herself like this, but the tone in her voice was not reluctance, but deep anxiety.
"When Xiao Hongdou comes back, she must ask His Highness what he thinks."
As if to cheer herself up, Lu Sisi gently pinched the hem of her skirt and walked quickly towards the Yingchun Palace.
Day after day in the palace begins with the busyness of these palace maids.
——————————
"Is it really okay?"
Little Hongdou looked at the big ship in front of her with fear.
After leaving the palace, Xiu's guards led her out of Siyang on horseback and arrived at the official port built by manpower to the south of the capital.
His Highness originally wanted her to take a good vacation and arranged for her to go to Haizhou to rest. Xiao Hongdou originally thought there was something wrong with that.
Tired, indeed she had been tired for many days, but she was being chewed out in the Yingchun Palace, and she knew it.
Instead of leaving the palace to rest and face the jealous looks of the palace maids when she came back, she really felt that it would be better to grit her teeth and keep working.
She didn't know what she had done wrong, and she didn't know what the other maids were thinking. They seemed to think that as long as Xiao Hongdou did not enjoy the blessings, their suffering would not be so unbearable.
Xiao Hongdou plucked up the courage to tell His Highness her concerns. Han Dongwen thought for a moment, simply nodded, said he understood, and asked her to call the people from Taishu Pavilion.
So Xiao Hongdou still wanted to leave the palace, but she was no longer resting.
It's overtime.
His Highness gave the order early in the morning and planned to inspect Haizhou in the future. However, the last time he inspected the Bailan Mountain border before visiting West Asia, there were many problems.
In His Highness’s own words, “the sun is glaring”, “the shoes do not fit properly and it is uncomfortable to stand for long periods of time”, “the height of the chair is also wrong”, “what the hell”.
Therefore, the personal maid from the Yingchun Palace who best understands His Highness' preferences was sent to Haizhou first to make complete preparations and completely prevent similar situations from happening.
Xiaohongdou was asked to go to Haizhou to see the place where Han Dongwen would meet with the sect in the future, to feel whether the climate was suitable, how many people were needed to fan, and whether the wind was strong enough to damage the dragon's body.
Ask her to take a look at the scenic spots in Haizhou that His Highness will visit in the future, and see if the road surface is uneven, whether it is possible to take a leisurely stroll, whether it still needs repairs, or whether she can travel in a sedan chair.
"You have a great responsibility, hurry up."
On the deck, Zhong Lilin greeted Xiao Hongdou.
This is a big ship.
Although it is not as formal and grand as a star boat, if you are going from Simeng to Haizhou, you generally will not use a star boat. After all, boating on the river is also a quite elegant thing, and it is worth experiencing slowly.
But it was also a big ship and a fast ship, with Xiubu's guards standing on the ship, just like Han Dongwen was traveling in person.
"Lord Zhong, forgive me!"
Xiao Hongdou quickly stepped onto the deck, and Yi Chengcheng, the little palace maid from Bianzhou, followed behind her and looked at Zhong Lilin with curious eyes.
"No, I will follow His Highness when he travels. Just keep an eye on him."
Zhong Lilin waved his hand, indicating that it was time to set off, so the wind blew on the deck, and the people around him began to retreat faster.
Little Hongdou looked around cautiously, feeling uneasy.
Is this work or rest?
"Your Highness will rest there when the time comes. Go up and have a look." Zhong Lilin interjected.
His finger pointed to a separate pavilion on the deck, where there was the brightest view, where Han Dongwen would watch the scenery in the future.
"I……"
Little Hongdou stepped up the steps with some hesitation, stood behind the gorgeous chair, and watched the big ship sail out of Guangang and merge into the river by the wind.
It was surrounded by plum trees specially pruned for viewing. She had read the map and knew that further ahead was the civil and commercial waterway.
Further ahead, you can see the sea.
Going south along the coast to Haizhou is not as fast as taking the inland canal, but the scenery is excellent.
】
"Sit down and see if the height of the chair is appropriate and comfortable."
Zhong Lilin's old-fashioned and restrained voice said some scary words.
Xiao Hongdou opened her mouth in surprise: "I, this is where Your Highness is sitting..."
"You know His Highness best, so I asked you to come out to inspect this trip first, right?"
Zhong Lilin waved to his side: "Also, you should also inspect these fresh fruits to see if there are any that are not to your Highness's taste. We can replace them when the time comes."
Several silver platters containing delicate fresh fruits were brought up and placed on the table next to the chair, bright and attractive.
"Your Highness is used to taking naps. If you feel tired, go to the main side room to have a look, have some breakfast, take a rest, and check whether there is any noise and whether the boat is running smoothly enough."
After Zhong Lilin finished speaking, he took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Hongdou: "His Highness's schedule is recorded here. When you arrive in Haizhou, you might as well go over it one by one and make a good inspection. I missed His Highness’s trip.”
"Sister Hongdou, what is this! It's so delicious!"
Yi Chengcheng on the side had already stuffed a dark pink grape into her mouth, mumbling exaggeratedly, and looked up at Zhong Lilin:
"Master Zhong, when His Highness goes to Haizhou in the future, will he only take you with him?"
Zhong Lilin shook his head: "There will be other officials. I am going with you this time. I have other things to do in Haizhou. If you need anything, just let me know at any time. The guards on this ship are all They are my old department, so you can rest assured."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhong."
Xiao Hongdou quickly lowered his head and quietly reached out to pat Yi Chengcheng's hand that was reaching for a bright light.
"No need, it's all His Highness's arrangement."
After Zhong Lilin finished speaking, he turned around and left the pavilion on the deck without stopping.
It wasn't until he couldn't see his back that Xiao Hongdou straightened up and took a few deep breaths.
"Sister Hongdou, I thought it would be so tiring, but it looks like it's just like taking a rest!"
Yi Chengcheng smiled and handed a piece of pear to Xiao Hongdou's mouth: "Eat what His Highness wants to eat and play with what His Highness wants to play. If Sister Sisi finds out about this, there will be trouble again! Hehe, thank you Sister Hongdou for bringing me. I'm coming out!"
Xiao Hongdou smiled helplessly and glanced at Yi Chengcheng: "Don't talk nonsense when you return to Yingchun Palace. We are here for His Highness's inspection, so just concentrate on your work!"
"Okay, okay, be sure to concentrate!"
Yi Chengcheng said perfunctorily, her eyes had moved to the pots of hot drinks served on the right, and she ran over to study them.
Xiao Hongdou sighed and gently opened the slip that Zhong Lilin had just handed to her.
Can I really treat this like a vacation?
Of course not, His Highness also arranged things for me to do. What is in this letter is...
Just as she was thinking this, her eyes suddenly focused, and there were only a few simple words written on the first page of the slip in her hand.
"Have a good rest. When you arrive in Haizhou, there will be an escort from the Qimen Escort Agency to see you."
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