Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

Chapter 22.1 - A Day in the Life of the Crown Prince’s Escort - Part 1 (Side Story)

Mornings began early for Li Yong, the escort of Liu Ming Xian who was the crown prince of the kingdom of Sai.

Li Yong was already training near the room of Ming Xian even before daybreak.

Ming Xian had his own hidden guards, so it was not necessary for Li Yong to be with the prince at all times; however, he still stuck to him for his personal assurance. It was also due to this so-called assurance that he had to enter an awkward situation. He had to pretend to be the Eunuch Libin, his fictitious twin brother they had fabricated. Thus, he had to spend his days in a precarious situation, since he treated Ming Xians life as far more important than his own. In any case, he was currently working under the alias Libin to escort Ming Xian in the Inner Palace.

It was time for Ming Xian to rise. After sweating it out and changing his clothes, Li Yong was informed by Noble Concubine Jiangs maid that the concubine, who was the bedrooms proprietress, had already left; therefore, he headed to the room to attend to Ming Xian. It didnt matter that Li Yong was Ming Xians close aide; even as a eunuch, there was no way he would be permitted to see the appearance of the consort after waking up.

And so, he entered the room, but what greeted him was the sight of Ming Xian still curled up in his blankets on the wooden bed.

Your Highness Ming Xian, please wake up. The skies are getting brighter outside.

Hm.

However, the reply that came from the wooden bed was indistinct.

The truth was, mornings were extremely difficult for Ming Xian. Noble Concubine Jiang also tried to wake him up; however, it would be time for ablutions, so she had to leave the room.

Li Yong heaved a deep sigh at Ming Xian who wont rise.

Should I ask that girl a technique on how to wake up more easily?

Li Yong suddenly remembered the face of the girl with the bluish hair he got to know recently. Perhaps, the girl might know something about this, since she was knowledgeable about strange things.

While thinking these things, Li Yong pulled the blankets, forcefully pulled Ming Xian up, and pressed a cold, wet cloth onto his face. Ming Xian resignedly woke up.

Cant you be more gentle when you wake me up?

If you rise up earlier, then I will also be gentler.

This scene had been a daily occurrence. Li Yong assisted Ming Xian in his preparations, and it was time for the morning meal after. Ming Xian preferred light dishes for breakfast, so it was his usual porridge. He had a stoic expression as he slowly ate the gruel which had long turned cold after undergoing various poison testing. It was during these times that Li Yong couldnt help but feel sorry for his master.

If it was that rookie court lady, she must be blissfully enjoying piping hot meals at the dining hall with the other court ladies. How ironic that those below Ming Xian enjoyed food that was more delicious than what he had.

After Ming Xian was done, he requested tea, and Li Yong switched with the maid attending to the crown prince to have his breakfast in a separate room. By the way, Li Yongs meals were heavy, in consideration to his muscular build as an imperial guard. Though it cant be said that those meals were as warm as freshly made food, they were not as cold as those of Ming Xian either, so it was much better.

After ensuring that Ming Xian had left the Inner Palace and was headed towards the Imperial Palace, Li Yong went to a specially prepared room at the borders of the Inner Palace. He deftly changed his eunuch outfit to the garb of an imperial guard here, and then he hurried to Ming Xians side.

Once Ming Xian entered the Imperial Palace, he could also brazenly walk around as one of the Imperial Guards, so for the time being, he felt relieved. He would use this time to show his face at the training area, attend briefing sessions with his supervisors, and fulfill his duties as an imperial guard.

For Li Yong, this was the best time for him in the whole day. Be it as an emissary or as an imperial guard, he could move unimpededly. On the other hand, males were banned from the Inner Palace, so he couldnt dispatch the Imperial guards; therefore, no matter how vigilant they were, there was still a weak spot in their defenses. That was also the reason why Li Yong was in an awkward situation, since he had to lead a double life.

This was the only time he had respite; however, it was increasingly becoming uncertain these days,

Boss, the crown prince summoned you.

After being called out by his colleague, Li Yong heaved a sigh.

Ming Xian was also aware that this was Li Yongs time to relax, so he normally wouldnt call for him; however, this was threatened to be broken. That rookie court ladys the source of everything, though

I heard you summoned me?

Li Yong went to Ming Xians office.

Li Yong, I want you to deliver this over for a moment.

Ming Xian handed a box full of sweets to Li Yong. Even without saying where or for whom it was intended, Li Yong had already thought Again?.

His destination at these times was already set in stone.

I just have to give those sweets to Yui Mei, right.

It was understandable that Ming Xian would want to dote on that court lady, but if he was excessive, it might blow up into something troublesome.

And so, he could only prepare things and had someone else carry out the task.

It was not as if Li Yong did not understand his feelings; just that it was troublesome on Li Yong who brought it.

Unfortunately, there was no one else that was up to the task.

If Li Yong brought those things, outsiders would only think the court lady had a great relationship with the eunuch. That was also part of their calculation.

I understand. Then, Ill be off.

Consequently, Li Yong could only reply in the affirmative, and the first thing he had to do was to change his clothes.

T/L Corner:

We have a triple release for today, since we reached our goals! Our ko-fi goal was achieved again thanks to our very generous supporter, I.M. Gibbon. ? Thanks to all of you for the 25 ratings in NU! Though this is not mandatory, I nevertheless feel happy that readers enjoy the novel, and it pumps me up! ?

Thoughts:

 Lol, poor Li Yong. How could the ML (?) win the heart of the maiden, when hes going around as a eunuch lol.. The road to a dense wifey is quite long, too.. ? At least, elder brother Ming Xian unwittingly started to pave it for his lil sis and best bud ? But then, Ming Xian and Li Yong could also star in their own BL series. Loved how merciless Li Yong was when he woke Ming Xian. lol.

Hi everyone, Hanazakura here, thanks for reading, Im grateful to you guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. We reached our 10th chapter milestone, hurray! Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace will now have a set schedule!  We will be releasing a chapter three times a week from now on. It will be every Mon, Wed and Fri, at 8:00 GMT. 

Please feel free to join us at our discord channel for release updates and more! Hope to see you there! We also have our Novel Updates page, if you enjoy what you are reading, feel free to leave a star rating and review, we appreciate it. Ill be releasing an extra chapter for every 25 ratings we receive, as my token of appreciation.

I also launched my Ko-Fi page! Please do check it out if you would like to support me as I strive to provide high quality, manually translated chapters. Extra chapters will be released when Ko-fi goal is met! Thank you very much (deep bow)! Ill continue doing my best!