Eunuch Song Chu's Rage

There was only one reason why someone would lie about who sent the flowers.

Because the servant who delivered said it was from His Highness, she even received a warm welcome from the servants of Lunar Palace. It must be someone malicious! But those flowers looked peaceful...

"A Ling. Hand me a branch." Qiu Ci said.

A Ling, one of the junior maids in the entourage promptly complied, finding a long and rather clean flower branch from the ground to hand to her.

Qiu Ci slowly approached the arrangement with the branch.

"Sister Ci! You can't do it! Let me do it!" Qiu Le realised what she was about to do and stopped her. Qiu Le was worried for Qiu Ci's safety.

"Let me do it! As Young Miss's dowry maidservants, we are the most responsible for Young Miss's safety." Qiu Ci was determined. Whatever the case, she should be an exemplar for the junior maids watching.

"Then let me do it with you."

Under many pairs of eyes, Qiu Ci and Qiu Le slowly moved aside the flowers at the top of the arrangement. Beneath all the gay yellow and pink flowers, were a large bed of white azaleas, wrapped in black silk.

All the colour drained from Qiu Ci's face and she dropped the branch immediately.

Qiu Le quickly pulled her away.

"What's the fuss? They look beautiful to me." Oblivious, I still tried to take another look.

"No, Noble Concubine, don't do it!" A Ling grabbed me immediately.

"Young Miss, it's a death threat!" Qiu Ci said heartbrokenly.

"Death threat?"

"Azaleas are highly toxic. Azaleas in a black bouquet are only sent for one reason, and that is to wish death on the receiver. Moreover, white flowers are only used for funerals. Azaleas aren't even supposed to be in bloom for a few more weeks. This person must have raised their own azaleas." she said.

"Preposterous! Who dares send such a thing to Noble Concubine Ling!?" Incensed, Eunuch Song Chu stormed up to the two guards standing in front of the entrance, who were watching us all this time.

"You two! Who was the person who sent the flowers here?"

"Erm.... I don't recognise who it was..." "But it was the uniform of the wash house....?" the two guards, taken aback, were uncertain and looked to each other for help.

"The wash house? Why would a wash house servant deliver flowers from the Emperor! Are you two pea brained? Why didn't you realise something was wrong? This is a hazard to your Noble Concubine's safety! What are you getting paid for if you're not doing your job!"

Eunuch Song Chu hadn't been this angry in a long time.

As the prized and most high ranking eunuch beside the Emperor, how many people wanted to curry favor with him? Even first rank officials had to be polite and give him face.

Before death threats like this could reach the Emperor, they had long been disposed of by the Emperor's many layers of guards. In fact, Eunuch Song Chu had yet to see blood.

However, the Emperor finally found someone he liked, and these sorry excuses for guards actually let it slip through?

The Emperor was the busiest person in the palace and had a packed schedule for the morning in order to make it to the procession in time, but he even found time to prepare a bouquet and made him send it over, even though as the Emperor's eunuch, he was just as busy if not busier coordinating all the Emperor's affairs.

He had walked such a long distance to Lunar Palace, hurrying as he heard Noble Concubine Ling was already on her way out, expecting a warm welcome and showers of praise for he and his master's thoughtfulness and efforts....

ONLY TO SEE WHAT?

Some hideous, half-baked weed arrangement had already beat him there, sent by some RUFFIAN impersonating His Highness's servant instead? And the ladies were even cooing over it?

Then what did he walk all this way for? What did his master spend time inspecting every flower half asleep for?

And it actually dared to contain a death threat that these people didn't even realise? Who did they think he was? Was his master's favourite concubine so easy to bully? Did they think the Emperor would let this go? Hmph! He would show them what's what!

"I'm reporting this to His Highness immediately!! There needs to be an investigation and we will uncover the culprit! You ladies, go cordone off this area. No one is to go near those WEEDS until I say so. And you!" Eunuch Song Chu whipped around to glare murderously at the guards.

The anger was evident in his voice. Eunuch Song Chu sounded like he wanted to beat someone up.

At his sudden shout, the guards jolted in fear.

"You two are coming with me now, to the wash house to identify who the person was! Qiu Ci and Qiu Le, go see the imperial physician immediately and ask for a toxicology report to make sure you are fit to serve at Noble Concubine Ling's side today. If not, you have to be quarantined and given treatment. Tell him I said so."

Like a storm, after dishing out orders, Eunuch Song Chu left as quickly as he arrived.

After all this ruckus was stirred up at the front of the palace early in the morning, there were naturally many spectators.

The area was immediately cordoned off, with guards placed to prevent anyone from tampering with it. The two guards at the entrance were replaced with guards from other areas of the palace, and security was actually doubled.

I found myself without my two most trusted maidservants, who had been escorted to the imperial physican by Eunuch Song Chu's other lackeys...

And soon, two bulky guards arrived.

"We've been sent here on the orders of Eunuch Song Chu to protect Noble Concubine Ling for the day." the one on the left said. He had a strong jaw and sharp, sunken eyes, looking like he took no nonsense. Both of them were easily twice the size of my normal guards.

"Err... Isn't this a bit too much? That's alright... I can use my own guards. You two should go back for now." I tried to reason with them.

"We only report to Eunuch Song Chu. Any disputes should be settled with him." the other one said stoicly. I would get nowhere trying to chase them away.

I sighed internally.

And so, a Noble Concubine and a group of maids dressed in fine, ceremonial attire made their way to the procession, escorted by 2 bulky guards towering 2 heads above them.