The next day, inside the Star Palace.
Huang Zude had already spent a day and a night there, daring not to leave, and no one had come to give him instructions; it seemed as if everyone had forgotten about him.
Sitting cross-legged, he had recited medical texts all night long, his mouth parched and his legs numb from sitting.
At dawn, the young eunuchs and little palace maids of the Star Palace, well-trained as they were, carried out their tasks quietly, whether sweeping or dusting bottles, barely making a sound. No one came to bother him. It was as though they were used to it, treating him as if he didn't exist; he recited his texts, and others went about their work.
When he could no longer bear his thirst, he called over a young eunuch cleaning nearby to pour him some water.
After the eunuchs and palace maids had finished cleaning, he was left alone in the hall again, feeling very solitary.
