The young eunuch stood up, looking a bit timid.

"From the palace?" Ye Qianning asked.

"Yes." The young eunuch’s voice trembled slightly.

Ye Qianning saw that the young eunuch looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, as if he had just entered the palace. Even his words of greeting seemed unpracticed.

"Who sent you?"

At her question, the young eunuch immediately dropped to his knees again. "I serve the Eighth Prince."

’Sang Zhi?’

Ye Qianning was a little surprised.

"The Eighth Prince instructed me to give this to Miss Xiang." The young eunuch took a package from within his robes.

Ye Qianning took it and opened it with her small hands. Inside was a porcelain vial and two glittering gold ingots...

’I must seem really poor. Even the little traditionalist knows to send me gold.’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Ye Qianning then opened the porcelain vial. Inside were a few small, black pills. She brought it to her nose and sniffed. It was a high-quality medicine, an excellent remedy for blade wounds.

"This medicine..."

"I don’t know what it is! I was just told to deliver it." The young eunuch, thinking there was something wrong with the medicine, fell to his knees in terror and began to kowtow repeatedly.

"...Is this how you serve the Eighth Prince?" Ye Qianning couldn’t help but frown. ’Is this boy trying to sabotage Sang Zhi, not serve him?’

"I... I’ve only been in the palace for a month."

"How many people serve in the Eighth Prince’s courtyard?"

"There’s... there’s a matron, a palace maid, and there was a eunuch. That eunuch passed away a month ago, so I was assigned to the Eighth Prince’s courtyard."

"Didn’t the eunuchs in charge teach you the rules when you entered the palace?"

"They did... The steward said to just kowtow whenever I meet a person of high status."

’The inner court steward assigned a complete novice to Sang Zhi,’ Ye Qianning thought, staring at him. ’This young eunuch has already made several mistakes just since walking in the door. If he acted this way in front of another noble in the palace and made a mistake, Sang Zhi would suffer the consequences too.’

"Luo Xuan, go into the palace and ask Mr. Li for a capable supervisory eunuch."

Luo Xuan was a bit confused. "Miss, what do you need a supervisory eunuch for?"

"To train the little traditionalist’s new attendant."

"Yes, Miss." Luo Xuan departed.

The young eunuch, still kneeling, was trembling with fear. "Miss Xiang, spare my life! Miss Xiang, spare my life!"

"Stand up," Ye Qianning said.

The young eunuch kept his head pressed to the floor, not daring to move.

"Get up. There’s no need to be so afraid."

The young eunuch hesitated for a moment before slowly scrambling to his feet, standing to the side while trembling slightly.

Ye Qianning saw his face was pale with fright and felt a pang of pity. He had a youthful face and was very thin but fair-skinned. ’Who would choose to enter the palace and become a eunuch if they weren’t forced by circumstance?’

"You don’t have to be afraid. The palace isn’t like the outside world. There are many nobles and many rules. Just kowtowing whenever something happens won’t work."

"Yes..." The young eunuch nodded.

"You’ve been with the Eighth Prince for a month, so you should have some idea of his situation. Serving in his courtyard means you absolutely cannot make mistakes. You must understand: once you enter the palace and pledge yourself to a master, you are no longer your own person. Your mistakes will implicate your master. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand," the young eunuch nodded.

"You’ve just entered the palace and don’t understand anything yet. I’m having someone bring a senior eunuch to teach you about conduct in the palace. You don’t need to be afraid," Ye Qianning said softly.

’Malicious people in the palace are experts at using such incidents to stir up trouble. Even if the master didn’t order the action, they would twist the narrative to make it seem as though he did.’

’That’s why choosing one’s servants in the palace is so important. A clever one can turn danger into safety, while a clumsy one can make a mistake or say the wrong thing and drag their master down with them.’

’Sang Zhi is already clueless enough. If he has a reckless, timid eunuch like this by his side, he might get completely wiped out one day.’

The young eunuch was surprised to hear this, and his eyes reddened slightly.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Qianning noticed his change in expression.