After Transmigrating Into A Eunuch, I Became Famous In The Harem - Chapter 2

Shao Yin had thought that after three months in this world, she might finally meet the mistress of the inner palace.

She didn’t know if the Empress was the heroine of the novel, but she secretly hoped for more contact with her.

She lowered her head but lifted her eyes, glancing in that direction.

She couldn’t quite make out the woman’s features, but the sight of her picking the fresh flowers was etched in Shao Yin’s mind.

She must be an extremely beautiful woman.

The original text also described her as such.

Before Shao Yin could get a better look, the Emperor beside her said to Chief Eunuch Qian: “Go and tell the Empress that I intend to enjoy the flowers here in the Imperial Garden. Tell her to go back and rest.”

Shao Yin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a cool, ruthless emotion flashed in her lowered gaze before she instantly masked it.

She took a deep breath internally, reminding herself not to act rashly.

This was a feudal society where imperial power was supreme.

*******

The Imperial Garden was soon left with only her and the Emperor.

The Emperor enthusiastically led her around to admire the flowers. Shao Yin looked at the vibrant blooms and couldn’t help but feel how similar these flowers were to the women of the inner palace.

They were so lovely, blossoming into their most gorgeous selves on a sunny autumn day, yet they were confined to this palace, serving only as entertainment for the Emperor alone.

How tragic.

On the other side, the Empress had already left, but she turned back to look at the Imperial Garden. Seeing the figure beside the Emperor, she felt his silhouette looked even slightly seductive.

She stood frozen, unable to move.

How could the people around the Empress dare to rush her? They could only let her stand there, witnessing the unsightly, unnatural intimacy in the Imperial Garden.

Guan Zhixian watched the Emperor pluck a flower and place it in Eunuch Shao’s hand.

She watched as the Emperor led Eunuch Shao to the pavilion in the garden, made him sit by his side, and personally offered him a pastry freshly made by the Imperial Kitchen.

She then watched the Emperor’s eyes, filled with undisguised lust, stare at Eunuch Shao; every look was impure.

She even saw the Emperor attempt to hold Eunuch Shao’s hand, only to be evaded by the eunuch.

Guan Zhixian lowered her eyes, feeling her sight had been soiled.

How could there be such a brazen person in the world?

This referred not only to the Emperor but also to Eunuch Shao beside him.

A wave of nausea rose in Guan Zhixian’s heart.

Being near such a man, being married to such a man, made her feel disgusted.

That Eunuch Shao also disgusted her. She even sensed an effeminate quality permeating his every word and gesture.

Only a castrated man would be so womanish.

She turned and departed, her expression composed, giving no hint of the turmoil within her.

******

Just like that, three more days passed, and it was the start of the month again.

According to palace rules, on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month, the Emperor should spend the night in the Empress’s palace. This was not only to give face to the Empress but also to remind the Emperor to be fair in distributing his favor among the harem.

However, the Emperor had not visited the inner palace for three months.

Naturally, he had no intention of going to the Empress’s palace this time either.

His Majesty was currently deeply infatuated with Shao Yin, so how could he possibly address other women in front of her?

The Emperor was highly skilled in these matters. Many women in the harem had fallen deeply in love with him because of this, believing they were the “white moonlight” in his heart and would forever enjoy his exclusive favor.

Shao Yin was different.

She had witnessed far too many of these scumbag tricks.

Not that she had experienced them personally, but the modern world she came from had rapid and developed online information, allowing her a deeper understanding of human nature and its inherent flaws.

She wouldn’t be moved by this. She only found this man to be truly cruel, neglecting so many women in the harem, caring nothing for their fate, and instead constantly pestering her.

Yet the Emperor still believed himself to be a man of deep affection.

******

The ministers in the court—namely the Empress’s father—began to feel uneasy about this and had their female relatives enter the palace to persuade the Empress.

The Empress Dowager, residing in the inner palace, also felt the matter was inappropriate.

Sure enough, on the second day of the month, the Empress Dowager heard that the Emperor had not gone to the Empress’s palace the night before, so she summoned him to her own palace.

No one else could easily discipline the Emperor, but as his birth mother, she was the most qualified person to scold him, given both her honored position as Empress Dowager and her blood relation to him.

On the way to the Cining Palace, the Emperor sat in his sedan, leaning sideways, looking down at Shao Yin, who was walking beside him. Seeing Shao Yin’s exquisite features seemingly gilded with light in the sun, the Emperor felt a pang and coaxed her softly: “Don’t worry. No matter what Mother says, I will definitely not compromise.”

Shao Yin bowed her head even lower, her eyes unable to hide the disgust. She internally cursed the Emperor as an “idiot.”

When they arrived at Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager naturally wouldn’t punish the Emperor, for he was the Son of Heaven.

Instead, she shouted in anger, commanding Shao Yin to kneel in the center of the hall.

Shao Yin immediately knelt straight down, his knees hitting the hard floor with a sharp pain that tightened his heart.

But he dared not show any sign of discomfort on his face, only keeping his head down and his back bent in a posture of complete submission.

“As the Emperor’s close attendant, you should not only care for his daily life but also admonish him!”

“But what have you done? Do you know that everything you are doing now merits the execution of your entire clan and then some!”

“Mother!” The person the Emperor had cherished for three months was being scolded this way, and he couldn’t bear to watch it.

He immediately stepped forward and grasped the Empress Dowager’s hand: “Mother, you have misunderstood. What could a mere junior eunuch dare to do? This was all my own decision! It was I who didn’t want to go to the Empress’s palace!”

The Empress Dowager, however, pulled her hand away, her face icy: “You are the supreme ruler of this land. How can you be wrong? If you do something you shouldn’t, the fault lies with the person beside you who leads you astray.”

Shao Yin lay prostrate on the ground, closing his eyes, thinking only of the heroine. Why didn’t she appear and strike down this Emperor and the biased Empress Dowager sitting above them?

The Empress Dowager’s goal wasn’t to kill Shao Yin. In her view, it didn’t matter which woman the Emperor favored or which man he wished to dally with.

These were small matters for an Emperor.

However, the rules of the ancestors could not be abolished.

And the Empress’s family could not be offended easily.

This inner palace was a small court, and the Emperor ought to know how to balance its relationships to maintain balance in the court itself.

Sure enough, the Emperor, who had been swearing solemn vows not to yield on the way over, now softened: “My good Mother, your son knows his mistake. Your son will go to the Empress’s palace today.”

*******

Leaving Cining Palace, the Emperor’s face was grim.

Shortly after stepping outside the palace gates, his face twisted with distaste: “It must be the Empress who was gossiping to Mother behind my back.”

He gave a cold laugh. “She wants me to go to her palace? Good. I will go and teach her how to be an Empress.”

It was late into the night when the Emperor arrived at the Empress’s palace.

The Empress had already washed and was preparing for bed when the Emperor arrived unexpectedly.

She knew the Empress Dowager had summoned the Emperor for a lecture today, and she also knew that given the Empress Dowager’s personality, the one who was lectured wouldn’t be the Emperor, but the eunuch by his side.

She had waited for the Emperor until the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) but did not see him arrive.

She had initially assumed the Emperor had merely placated the Empress Dowager and wouldn’t come to her palace, so she had washed and prepared for sleep.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor arrived past the midpoint of the Hai hour.

Guan Zhixian immediately tidied her appearance and curtsied in greeting as the Emperor stepped through the door.

However, the Emperor did not bid her rise. Instead, he roared in anger, commanding her to kneel.

Guan Zhixian knelt in the center of the hall, and the maids behind her also knelt down in a cluster.

The lamps flickered in the night, the candlelight illuminating the entire hall.

The chilly autumn wind sighed outside, blowing into the room and fluttering the plain white robe the Empress wore.

The Empress had been about to sleep, so she was dressed lightly.

Shao Yin stood beside the Emperor, unable to see the Empress’s face clearly, but could see her unbound black hair catching a layer of warm light in the candlelight.

The hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, broken only by the sound of the Emperor’s angry breathing.

Shao Yin also knelt down immediately.

The Emperor was just about to begin scolding the Empress when he was interrupted by Shao Yin’s action.

His fiery temper instantly subsided, and his fury vanished. He bent down to help Shao Yin up.

Shao Yin, however, pressed himself lower.

The candlelight flickered, and his shadow seemed to tremble faintly in the dim yellow light.

His figure was slight, and the belt cinched his delicate waist, making him appear even frailer and more deserving of pity.

He lowered his voice and spoke to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, if the Empress Dowager learns that you came to the Empress’s palace only to make her kneel indefinitely, she will summon you to Cining Palace again tomorrow to inquire about the cause of this incident.”

After speaking, he raised his eyes and looked at the Emperor.

His eyes were beautiful and refined.

The faint plea in his gaze was like a soft, warm touch, soothing the Emperor’s heart.

The Emperor instantly softened.

Yes, he certainly shouldn’t let Yin’er suffer again tomorrow.

He immediately tried to help Shao Yin stand up, but Shao Yin bent even lower, remaining on his knees.

The Emperor had to sigh, expressing a deep sense of resignation: “You rely entirely on my favor for you.”

He then spoke coldly to the Empress: “You may rise, lest the people around you go to Mother and complain again tomorrow.”

The Empress felt a bitter irony in her heart.

So, the Emperor believed that his visit to Cining Palace today was because she had complained and caused the Empress Dowager to summon him.

She bowed her head, kowtowed in thanks, but internally cursed him as a “pig-headed fool.”

How could she, Guan Zhixian, do something so thoughtless?

Besides, she was trying to avoid the Emperor, disgusted by him. Why would she eagerly beg him to come and sleep with her? What bad luck.

After she stood up, the eunuch was finally helped up by the Emperor.

She instinctively let her gaze fall on the eunuch, seeing that as he rose, his buttocks were nicely curved, his lumbar dimples were deep, and his figure was exceptionally seductive.

Perhaps many women couldn’t compete with his figure.

She felt even more disgusted. How could a man be more alluring than a woman?

How unlucky to see such an ambiguous, non-man-non-woman demon late at night.

She stole another glance and saw the eunuch hastily shake off the Emperor’s hand the moment he stood. The Emperor’s hand froze mid-air for a heartbeat before he offered a helpless chuckle. Right in front of her, he teased the eunuch, “You’ll never accept me, will you?”

The Empress nearly vomited up that night’s dinner.

In a fleeting moment, she thought she saw the eunuch’s smooth neck ripple slightly, as if in a mirrored gesture of disgust.

The Empress lowered her gaze, her mind churning with silent questions.

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