Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 878: Chapter 789: Unwilling to Be a Slave (Part 9)

After Nangong Shuangshuang finished an acupuncture session on Xiao Chun, he noticed a significant improvement in his leg. Although he had maintained a calm and natural expression before, he was actually enduring intense pain.

Now, although the pain was still there, it was no longer so unbearable. Just one acupuncture session had such an effect, and Xiao Chun was truly astonished.

Xiao Chun had previously been a confidant by the Emperor’s side and was well-versed in many things. He had met Imperial Physicians skilled in acupuncture, but even the best of them, like Doctor Zhang from the Imperial Hospital, were not this proficient.

He tentatively bent his knee a few times, and indeed, it wasn’t as painful. His leg felt much more comfortable. Xiao Chun even tried getting out of bed and walked a couple of steps. Although it was uncomfortable, he no longer felt that unbearable pain that made standing impossible. It was truly effective!

With a look of surprise and delight on his face, Xiao Chun glanced at the youthful Nangong Shuangshuang and said to Bai Ruoyun with a smile, ”This little palace maid is indeed a treasure. My leg feels so much lighter. Ruoyun, thank you for always thinking of me.”

Bai Ruoyun blushed slightly and cast a glance at Xiao Chun, her voice carrying a teasing hint of coyness, ”Listen to what you’re saying. With our relationship, why are you thanking me? Are you treating me like an outsider?”

Xiao Chun laughed heartily and, with a joyful expression, took Bai Ruoyun’s hand. ”It’s my fault. Of course, we don’t need to say thank you to each other. I won’t be polite then—this little palace maid has helped me greatly. But I have no way to thank her myself, so Ruoyun has to help me repay this favor.”

”Hmph, you don’t need to say it. Shuangshuang is my confidante. Now that she’s done such a good job for me, I’ll naturally reward her.”

Afterward, Bai Ruoyun and Xiao Chun chattered lovingly for quite a while, not avoiding Nangong Shuangshuang at all. Nangong Shuangshuang watched coldly, seeing the genuine affection between the two and feeling they were as close as her own parents.

Since Bai Ruoyun and Xiao Chun had secretly formed a ’food sharing’ relationship, they didn’t linger long. Bai Ruoyun regretfully took her leave with Nangong Shuangshuang, and Xiao Chun also reluctantly said goodbye. But since quite some time had already been spent today, Bai Ruoyun couldn’t stay any longer.

In the palace, ’food sharing’ is allowed but not in secret, as technically all palace maids are the Emperor’s women, whom the Emperor can favor at will. However, the Emperor doesn’t pay much attention to the palace maids and rarely dotes on them.

But even if the Emperor doesn’t care, palace maids must maintain their purity unless permitted otherwise. If caught secretly forming ’food sharing’ relationships with eunuchs, it would be deemed as harem disorder, and they would be beaten to death. Additionally, the errant palace maid’s body would be burned to ashes and scattered in a dry well, leaving the family with nothing but an incomplete body.

Thus, Bai Ruoyun bringing Nangong Shuangshuang to treat Xiao Chun without hiding her intimacy with him was itself a sign of trust towards Nangong Shuangshuang, treating her as a confidante.

For a palace maid and eunuch to form a ’food sharing’ relationship, akin to a civilian marriage, they need the master’s permission. However, masters are not generally interested in their servants’ ’food sharing’ needs.

The master’s indifference to the servants’ loneliness meant their requests for ’food sharing’ often went unapproved and unacknowledged, unless it was from a trusted and favored servant.

The situation between Bai Ruoyun and Xiao Chun, especially since Xiao Chun was someone remembered by the Empress Dowager, made it impossible for them to seek approval from their master, forcing them to form a secret ’food sharing’ relationship. Because of its secrecy, they naturally dared not frequently meet for fear of being discovered and causing trouble.

On the way back, Bai Ruoyun’s expression was somewhat gloomy. To avoid exposing their relationship, she and Xiao Chun barely saw each other throughout the year, and every encounter was rushed. With their deep affection, they naturally found such brief meetings both heartbreaking and helpless.

Because her meeting with Xiao Chun was so short, after returning to the Violence Room, Bai Ruoyun was in low spirits, not even bothering to take her little whip to oversee the palace maids at work. Instead, she instructed Qiushuang and Qiuyi to ensure no one slacked off and then went back to her room.

After Bai Ruoyun went to rest, Nangong Shuangshuang went to find her mother, Luo Yueying. Luo Yueying was in the kitchen, helping the cooks prepare meals. The servants of the Violence Room ate communal meals, consisting of sparse dishes and steamed coarse bread.

These meals naturally required little cooking, and the daily chore of picking vegetables was completed early, leaving time to rest. But there was little fun to be had resting in the Violence Room; though spacious, it lacked scenery and entertainment.

The palace maids working out front all kept silent, moving mechanically; seeing this always left Luo Yueying feeling stifled, so she avoided going out there. The kitchen, however, remained lively as conversation was welcome here.

After finishing her tasks, Luo Yueying would chat while helping with whatever she could. She was sociable and willing to lend a hand, quickly building good relationships with those around her, more popular even than Nangong Shuangshuang.

In the evening, an additional crystal pork dish, sauced fish, and a large plate of fresh, juicy peaches appeared on Bai Ruoyun’s dining table. Bai Ruoyun instructed the red-braised pork hock and sauced fish to be placed directly in front of Nangong Shuangshuang and Luo Yueying.

Since everyone at the table was Bai Ruoyun’s confidante, she was candid, openly stating that these two meat dishes were a token of gratitude from Xiao Chun, following Shuangshuang’s treatment, and the peaches were a reward for Nangong Shuangshuang, meaning the dishes and peaches belonged to Nangong Shuangshuang and Luo Yueying.

Although Bai Ruoyun and Xiao Chun’s monthly allowances were decent and they didn’t lack meat, this was different from having an actual meat dish prepared, which only occurred during holidays. Xiao Chun likely had bought these meat dishes himself.

Fruits, of course, were even rarer; even Bai Ruoyun’s allowance didn’t contain much. These peaches roughly equaled half a month of Bai Ruoyun’s fruit ration, yet she bestowed them all on Nangong Shuangshuang.

Nangong Shuangshuang naturally wasn’t selfish; she gave Bai Ruoyun a large piece and then two pieces to her mother, Luo Yueying. She then sat down and smiled, ”Let’s all share these dishes. My mother and I don’t have big appetites and can’t eat this much.”

Nangong Shuangshuang never hoarded for herself. Winning hearts with two plates of meat was something she was willing to do, not caring about a single meal. After eating, Nangong Shuangshuang divided the fruit, keeping the majority for Bai Ruoyun, then gave a few to Qiushuang and Qiuyi, and planned to save the rest for Luo Yueying to supplement her nutrition.