After Transmigrating Into A Eunuch, I Became Famous In The Harem - Chapter 13

The moment her clothes were torn, Shao Yin screamed like a startled bird, unable to control herself. She shoved the Empress’s hand away and stumbled backward, falling to the ground in a disheveled state. She stared in disbelief at what was happening before her eyes.

She couldn’t believe that the usually restrained and composed Empress would act like this.

Guan Zhixian remained expressionless, her imposing aura unwavering. Her gaze landed on Shao Yin’s terrified face before slowly sliding downward, taking in her slender neck and delicate, narrow collarbone.

Below that were layers of thick white cloth wrapped around her chest.

It was these layers of white cloth that concealed Shao Yin’s feminine features, fooling many in the palace.

“Do you have anything to say now?” the Empress asked, her gaze as sharp as a blade, piercing through the layers of white cloth that Shao Yin had used to conceal her true identity.

Shao Yin was still in a state of shock. In that moment, she felt the Empress was even more terrifying than the Emperor.

Her body trembled uncontrollably as she clutched at her clothes, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at the Empress.

Taking a deep breath, she finally managed to utter the words that had been trapped in her throat: “I… I am not a man.”

After saying this, Shao Yin felt an unprecedented lightness, as if she had finally shed the heavy burden of her disguise.

A faint redness appeared in her eyes as a tear slid down her fair cheek and landed on her delicate collarbone.

Meeting Guan Zhixian’s gaze, she said, “This servant never wanted to reach this point, but now that I’m deeply entangled, I don’t know how to escape.”

With those words, she resumed her proper kneeling posture, burying her head deeply.

Shao Yin’s extreme deference to the Empress wasn’t entirely due to submission to the Great Female Protagonist. After all, she wasn’t yet certain if the Empress was that very protagonist.

In that moment, she simply felt genuine reverence toward the Empress, the true female protagonist of this Imperial Harem.

The Empress believed every word she said.

Initially, when she assumed Shao Yin was a eunuch, the Empress hadn’t questioned it. Even the most favored eunuch couldn’t ascend to the imperial bed and gain any real status within the harem.

So, when she learned the Emperor had favored Shao Yin for three months, she never doubted Shao Yin’s identity.

With Shao Yin’s beauty, if she truly wanted to seduce the Emperor and secure her position in the harem, why would she wait a full three months without making a move?

The Empress hadn’t considered that Shao Yin might have thwarted the Emperor’s advances, which is why he kept her as a eunuch by his side.

She was clever enough to avoid the Imperial Harem.

Her refusal to enter the harem, despite being a woman, proved that she never wanted to become one of the Emperor’s concubines. This was why she had continually delayed, and even when the Empress brought her to Cining Palace, she showed no resistance.

The Empress stepped forward again, crouched down beside Shao Yin, and gently, methodically, began to straighten out the torn and disheveled clothes she had ripped. “What are your plans now?” she asked softly. “Do you intend to remain a eunuch in the palace, trapped in this woman’s body?”

In that moment, Shao Yin sensed genuine tenderness from the Empress.

She looked up, her mind racing through countless possibilities. “This servant has nowhere to go,” she replied cautiously. “I can’t even return home. If I could serve Your Majesty here in the palace, be your slave, it would at least give me a place to belong.”

Serving the Great Female Protagonist would be her best chance at stability, the beginning of a secure life.

In a world that favored sons over daughters, where parents’ decisions could dictate their children’s entire lives, returning home wasn’t the best choice.

Her mother was merely a concubine, and her mother’s eyes saw only her son.
Even if she didn’t enter the palace to secure a future for her brother, staying in the manor would only mean being sent to another family or marrying into a family that would benefit her brother’s prospects.

In short, her very existence was merely a stepping stone for her brother’s success. Returning to the manor would be a dead end in another sense.

As a woman in this world, starting her own independent life without any means or support behind her would make her vulnerable to those with malicious intentions. It wasn’t the best path.

If she could assist the Great Female Protagonist in the palace, helping her son become Emperor and herself becoming a palace maid—or even a eunuch—by her side, that would be ideal.

Once she reached a certain age, even if she were released from the palace, she would still be someone who had served the Empress Dowager.

Such a status would make it far easier for her to navigate this world compared to ordinary women who stood alone.

While she couldn’t be certain if the Empress would become the Empress Dowager or the Great Female Protagonist, the Empress was currently the most powerful and resolute woman in the Imperial Harem.

If she’s willing to take me in, it probably won’t be too bad.

If I ever find another woman who embodies the Great Female Protagonist from the novel, I can make plans then.

For now, I need to resolve the immediate crises I’m facing.

After listening to Shao Yin’s words, the Empress straightened her disheveled clothes. Her hand lingered on Shao Yin’s neck, caressing the pulsing artery.

“You want to become my servant?” she asked.

Shao Yin tilted her head back. “Does Your Majesty the Empress deign to accept this humble servant?”

The Empress scoffed, refusing to answer directly. She stood, clasping her hands behind her back, and looked down at the woman kneeling before her. Still avoiding a direct answer, she simply commanded, “Rise. You have no further duties here today. Return and rest.”
Shao Yin remained kneeling for a moment longer before slowly rising. Her body felt weak, and it took great effort to straighten her legs. But as she stepped back, her trembling knees buckled, and she began to fall.

Just as she thought she would collapse to the ground, injuring herself, a pair of hands grasped her wrists.

Shao Yin felt her body sway, and when she looked up, she found herself cradled in Guan Zhixian’s arms.

Her bent legs made her a head shorter than the Empress, and as she looked up, she met the Empress’s cool, piercing eyes, which held a chill colder than autumn frost and an indescribable loneliness.

The Empress spoke, “Since you’re pretending to be a man, why have you let yourself grow so thin?”

As she spoke, a fleeting smile flickered in her eyes, as if a memory had stirred. “I used to think you were a eunuch and often criticized your figure. Now that I know you’re a woman…”

Now that she knew Shao Yin was a woman, even the pity that arose in her heart felt entirely natural.

“I have a sister at home who’s as frail and thin as you. My mother couldn’t bear to let her marry.”

The Empress lifted her hand and pinched Shao Yin’s chin. Her tone, once warm, turned icy, carrying an undercurrent of command. “If you want to survive in this palace and become my servant, you must gain some weight. At least let me use you without worrying that you’ll break down halfway through.”

Shao Yin lowered her gaze and murmured her agreement.

Only then did the Empress release her.

Bowing slightly, Shao Yin retreated from the hall.

The guards outside remained unaware of what had transpired between the two women within the chamber.

Su Zhongjie had only heard occasional screams; nothing else.

Now, seeing Shao Yin emerge, he was about to approach and inquire about her condition when he noticed her torn collar. The snow-white, delicate curve of her collarbone was exposed beneath the ripped fabric. A gust of cold wind carried snowflakes that settled on her collarbone, catching Su Zhongjie’s gaze.

Averting his eyes, Su Zhongjie still warned her, “The Noble Consort is coming. You’d better avoid her on the way. The Imperial Consorts in the harem all have a poor impression of you.”

Shao Yin hadn’t expected Su Zhongjie to offer such a considerate warning. She immediately thanked him, lowered her head, and turned to return to her quarters.

She needed to change out of these clothes, send them to the Imperial Workshop for repair, or request a new set.

Before Shao Yin could take a step, a domineering female voice rang out: “Su Zhongjie, are you spreading rumors about me behind my back again? Don’t think I won’t punish you just because you work for the Empress.”

Su Zhongjie immediately turned and knelt.

Shao Yin knelt beside him.

She lowered her head, but the Noble Consort still noticed her.

“Oh, isn’t this the Emperor’s favorite eunuch? Did the Empress discipline you?” The Noble Consort smirked arrogantly. “Your clothes are torn. Seems you really angered her.”

She stepped closer to Shao Yin, leaning down, her voice turning sinister, like a ghost haunting the depths of a dark forest. “Did you bewitch the Emperor’s heart with this pitiful, pathetic appearance? Your clothes aren’t torn enough. Should I help you rip them further? How about you go back naked? Would that be better?”

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