SSFSE 09

Chapter – 09

Yin Ning glanced at the young eunuch, whose face was already bruised and swollen, with blood at the corner of his mouth.

He looked about the same age as Yin Jie—around ten, with a childish face—but his eyes were noticeably dimmer, lacking the fiery spark of Yin Jie.

She walked over to him, took out her handkerchief, and gently wiped the blood from his mouth. He flinched, startled, and looked up at her in surprise, like a frightened rabbit, his eyes full of shock and unease.

Yin Ning gently patted his head and asked softly: “Yin Jie said you disobeyed an order. Can you tell me what happened?”

“I… I don’t know how to swim. I was afraid that if I went in, I’d sink.”

His voice grew quieter as he spoke, and after finishing, he shrank back and lowered his head.

Yin Ning sighed inwardly at his explanation.

She turned to Yin Jie: “Did he tell you he can’t swim?”

Yin Jie looked down, fiddling with his fingers, and fell silent. His attitude said it all—clearly the young eunuch had explained, but he hadn’t cared. In his mind, if he needed something done, the eunuch had to comply, even at the cost of his life.

Seeing the anger rising on Yin Ning’s face, Yin Chen suddenly spoke up:

“Little Aunt, I apologize. As the eldest brother, I should have kept my brother in check. Fourth Brother has been spoiled by Consort Xu and is rather willful. I’ll have someone tend to this young eunuch’s wounds shortly.”

Seeing Yin Chen playing the role of a sensible elder brother, Yin Ning felt only revulsion.

When Yin Jie was ordering the beating, Yin Chen had stood by without lifting a finger to stop it. Now, he was jumping in to play the good guy.

Yin Ning had never had much contact with these four nephews before. But after what had just happened, she couldn’t help but doubt—could Emperor Jingwu really be one of these four?

Yin Ning acted swiftly. She immediately contacted the harem battle system, 007, that she was bound to, and communicated through her mind:

[007, help me scan the conquest values of Yin Chen and the other three.]

[Understood, host. Total cost: 40 points. Confirm expenditure?]

[Confirm!]

System 007’s voice was cold and mechanical:

[Scan complete. Yin Chen’s conquest value: 45 points—rating: negligible. The other three: 30 points each—rating: insignificant.]

Yin Ning had always used this system function—scanning a target’s conquest value—to assess a person’s potential and talent.

Now, hearing 007’s result, she instantly knew: Emperor Jingwu had nothing to do with any of these four.

“You don’t need to tend to his wounds!” Yin Ning said, turning to Yin Chen. “I want this young eunuch. He’ll serve me from now on!”

Hearing this, Yin Chen immediately smiled and nodded, saying there was no problem. But Yin Jie’s face twisted with resentment, clearly displeased.

Yin Ning had no patience for it and said directly: “Even my father does not go around beating eunuchs and maids to death. If I ever catch you doing something like that again, I’ll drag you straight to him and let him teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”

Only then did a trace of fear appear on Yin Jie’s face.

Because during his days in the palace, he had clearly sensed that Emperor Jingming valued his eldest brother, Yin Chen, far more than him—treating him as though he barely mattered. And he had often heard his mother say that Yin Ning was Emperor Jingming’s most beloved youngest daughter.

“Little Aunt, I understand. I won’t dare to do it again!” Yin Jie promised timidly.

Seeing his bullying and cowardly reaction, Yin Ning let out a cold snort.

In her view, excuses like “he’s just a child who doesn’t know any better” were utter nonsense.

If Yin Jie truly didn’t understand, he wouldn’t have started showing fear the moment she invoked Emperor Jingming’s name.

However, Yin Ning could not be bothered to deal with the four brothers any further. She simply called for the young eunuch and led her people back to Ruihe Hall, where she resided.

Since Baiju had studied medicine, whenever any of the maids or eunuchs in Yin Ning’s palace had a headache or fever, they would turn to her for help.

So, upon returning to Ruihe Hall, Yin Ning had Baiju examine the injured young eunuch to see if a physician needed to be summoned.

Fortunately, after checking him over, Baiju found that although the young eunuch looked badly beaten, the injuries were all superficial. With some medicine and time, he would fully recover.

Hearing this, Yin Ning felt genuinely happy for him. She looked at the young eunuch and asked gently:

“What is your name? Do you have any skills, or is there something you’d like to do?”

Perhaps because he had finally relaxed, a hint of a smile appeared on his thin, gaunt face. Somewhat shyly, he said in a low voice:

“Your Highness, this servant’s name is Xiao Shunzi. I’m not very good at pleasing my masters, but I can cook fairly well. Whenever the others I live with want to make extra meals, they always ask me to help.”

Hearing this, Yin Ning grew curious. She had her system 007 scan Xiao Shunzi’s conquest value as well.

The result surprised her greatly—Xiao Shunzi’s score was as high as 83.

Among all the scans Yin Ning had done before, this was considered quite a good score.

So, she smiled at Xiao Shunzi and said: “Then from now on, you’ll work in my small kitchen, assisting Old Madam Hua. You can also learn cooking from her.”

Old Madam Hua was the head cook in Yin Ning’s kitchen—an exceptionally skilled chef, and a kind-hearted one too.

Yin Ning felt that if Xiao Shunzi’s talent truly lay in cooking, Old Madam Hua might just help her cultivate a little culinary prodigy.

Hearing Yin Ning’s arrangement, Xiao Shunzi was overjoyed and nodded eagerly, so moved that his eyes grew moist.

When he had been pinned down and beaten by the lake earlier, he had thought he might be killed right there. He never expected such a dramatic turn of events.

Everyone in the palace knew that Yin Ning’s Ruihe Hall was a renowned haven. Not only was Yin Ning generous with her rewards to servants, but she also treated everyone kindly and never resorted to casual beatings or abuse. More importantly, mastering a craft in the palace was highly prized—especially culinary skills, which could help one live a decent life.

Baiju, as Yin Ning’s senior head maid, quickly took Xiao Shunzi away to get him settled.

After they left, Yin Ning turned to her tutor Shi Qingyuan and asked: “Teacher, what do you think of my four nephews?”

“Rotten wood that cannot be carved—utterly useless.”

Shi Qingyuan had been observing the four brothers earlier, but the more she watched, the more disappointed she became. She felt that none of them could possibly be the Emperor Jingwu, the legendary sage ruler praised by later generations.

Hearing Shi Qingyuan’s scathing assessment, Yin Ning could not help but burst out laughing.

She gave her tutor a thumbs-up and praised: “Teacher, your ability to read people is still second to none!”

Shi Qingyuan remained composed: “It seems the rumor circulating outside might actually hit upon the truth. A younger brother seizing the throne from his elder brother—no wonder some might say Emperor Jingwu’s claim was not legitimate.”

Yin Ning cracked a melon seed nonchalantly. “Legitimate or not, as long as Emperor Jingwu can govern the country well, that’s all that matters!”

Shi Qingyuan nodded slightly in agreement with Yin Ning’s view.

The reason the two of them got along so well was simply that they shared similar temperaments—neither cared much for empty propriety or reputation, and both acted quite freely.

Moreover, Yin Ning was not particularly anxious to find out who Emperor Jingwu was.

Otherwise, she would not have gone days without approaching Yin Chen and his brothers, only meeting them by chance just now.

Though the heavenly screen had disappeared, Yin Ning had a strong feeling that Liu Sanqi would continue to broadcast again in the future—so Emperor Jingwu’s identity would eventually be revealed.

What weighed more on Yin Ning’s mind right now was the drowning of the crown prince’s concubine.

Previously, she had hoped to use this concubine to uncover the true culprit behind her eldest brother’s murder.

Now, although she had confirmed the culprit’s identity, the key witness had been silenced.

And the evidence she currently had was far from sufficient to convict the Third Prince.

Because of the concubine’s sudden death, Yin Ning had thought she might need to investigate further to catch the Third Prince in a mistake.

But the very next day, Liu Sanqi’s broadcast on the heavenly screen saved her a great deal of trouble.

When the heavenly screen appeared again, it happened to coincide with the end of the morning court session.

Emperor Jingming led his ministers out of the Golden Throne Hall and stood on the white jade steps.

“Hey there, my lovelies! Sanqi is back! Today’s broadcast is still related to the Great Jing Dynasty!”

“Though everyone often roasts Emperor Jingming for his poor choice of successor—and even I poked fun at him for being blind last time—I really do have to defend him a little. You can’t make bricks without straw; he didn’t have many options.”

“The crown prince he originally appointed was directly poisoned by his third son, and that same third son even planned to raise an army in rebellion later. Could he really keep such a son around for the New Year?”

Liu Sanqi’s tone was casual and breezy, but the sound of the Third Prince’s knees hitting the ground was unmistakably loud.