After Transmigrating Into A Eunuch, I Became Famous In The Harem - Chapter 35

The atmosphere in the bedroom was tense, yet not uncomfortably so.

Shao Yin’s heart began to race, and she found it difficult to breathe.

She instinctively took a step back. “Shouldn’t we be getting back?”

Guan Zhixian felt a sudden emptiness in her heart, though she couldn’t pinpoint its cause. After a moment’s hesitation, she continued outlining her plan: “Moving to a new home deserves a proper housewarming meal. You should invite us.”

“However, I know you’re short on funds. This time, I’ll treat you.”

A meal in her new home? Shao Yin’s previously tense heart relaxed, replaced by genuine joy. She gazed at the Empress, her eyes unconsciously filled with admiration.

The emptiness in Guan Zhixian’s heart was now filled.

The Empress ordered an excellent meal, featuring dishes rarely served in the palace. Shao Yin loved everything and ate heartily.

If she didn’t have to return to duty tomorrow, she wouldn’t have wanted to leave the house at all.

That night, lying in bed, Shao Yin listened to the soft rustle of falling snow outside. Warm from the charcoal fire, she drifted into a peaceful sleep, a smile lingering on her lips.

In two days, it would be her day off. Then she could leave the palace and rest in her own residence.

Just the thought of having a place of her own, where she could completely relax, gave her the motivation to keep going.

The next day, Shao Yin went to work.

Liang Fujun noticed a faint smile lingering on Shao Yin’s lips, softening her gaze from the shimmering surface of a lake to fluffy snowflakes.

Chunfeng stood nearby, directing the other palace maids as they packed Liang Fujun’s belongings for the Traveling Palace.

Shao Yin stood beside Liang Fujun, at attention, awaiting orders.

Noticing Liang Fujun’s sidelong glance, Shao Yin’s work spirit brightened slightly. “Does the Imperial Consort require anything of this servant?”

Liang Fujun remained silent, her gaze fixed on Shao Yin. Her face was as lovely as ever, but today her eyes seemed to carry a faint hint of resentment.

Shao Yin’s heart skipped a beat, fearing she had somehow angered the woman without realizing it.

After a long moment, unable to bear Liang Fujun’s reproachful stare any longer, Shao Yin called out softly, “Imperial Consort?”

Liang Fujun finally spoke, her tone tinged with bitterness, almost sarcastic: “Do you think I’ve been unkind to you?”

Shao Yin’s heart skipped a beat. “How could that be?” she replied quickly. “Your Majesty’s kindness to me will never be forgotten.”

She even offered specific examples: “It was Your Majesty who requested me from the Emperor’s quarters. Otherwise… And it was Your Majesty who gave me so many… menstrual supplies, and the occasional meal, far better than my own rations. On cold winter days, I could enjoy such a hearty, warm meal. I am deeply grateful.”

Liang Fujun’s expression softened slightly, but quickly darkened again. “Yet despite all I’ve given you, I’ve never seen such a radiant smile on your face.”

She pointed to Shao Yin’s wrist, where the jade bracelet she had previously bestowed upon her was still worn.

“This bracelet,” she said, “is far more valuable than a three-compound courtyard. Why aren’t you happier receiving this, yet you light up at the mere prospect of a courtyard?”

Shao Yin suddenly felt her wrist weighed down by a thousand gold pieces.

Whenever Shao Yin attended to the Noble Consort at her palace, she would wear this bracelet. Even hidden within her sleeve, glimpses of it would occasionally catch the Consort’s eye, bringing her joy.

But she never imagined the bracelet was so precious.

She glanced at the Noble Consort again.

In the soft morning light, the Consort’s face glowed with a radiant, flawless luminosity, accentuating her extraordinary beauty.
Such a beautiful person was now looking at her with a hint of grievance.

Guilt swirled in Shao Yin’s heart, and she bowed even lower. “I never realized how precious this bracelet was. Otherwise, I would never have worn it casually. It should have been kept safe and treasured in my chambers.”

Her words seemed to soothe Liang Fujun’s expression, though it was hard to tell which part had made the difference.

Liang Fujun shot her a sharp glance. “If you had only told me earlier that you liked those sprawling four- or five-compound residences, I could have bought you one.”

Shao Yin breathed a sigh of relief. “Your Majesty’s kindness to me is more than enough. I am deeply grateful for everything you’ve done.”

Liang Fujun’s heart swelled with satisfaction at Shao Yin’s flattery, yet something still felt lacking.

Liang Fujun saw Shao Yin’s relaxed expression, but there was no real smile. Her heart burned with resentment.

She lowered her gaze, the resentment and jealousy in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a hint of stubbornness.

This little girl disguised as a eunuch had been in her palace for so long, yet she wasn’t entirely loyal to her.

A faint, malicious smile curled her lips.

She would make this little girl understand that disloyalty came at a price.

The Empress had made her smile; she would make her cry. She wanted to see which left a deeper impression.

Shao Yin was relieved that Liang Fujun had stopped pestering her, but instead, the pressure from the Noble Consort seemed to grow, making her even more cautious.

Only when she was outside the palace, sitting on the carriage board with the footman, holding the small warming stove given to her by the Noble Consort, did she realize the sheer number of Imperial Consorts accompanying them to the Traveling Palace.

Inside the carriage, Liang Fujun threw back the curtain, her voice sharp with anger. “So that’s why the Empress so easily agreed to my request to go to the Traveling Palace! She had this planned all along!”

She never imagined the Empress would allow so many concubines to accompany them.

Among these ladies, many were those who usually fawned over her the most. At the Traveling Palace, they would all swarm around her, vying to flatter her!

The Empress clearly didn’t want her to be alone with Shao Yin!

How vicious! To resort to such dirty tactics just to compete with her over a mere slave!

Liang Fujun saw Shao Yin as nothing more than a tool in her power struggle with the Empress, nothing more.

The women of the Imperial Harem sometimes pursued favor in strange ways. It wasn’t anything new.

Liang Fujun gazed in Shao Yin’s direction, through the thick carriage curtain. She couldn’t see her, but she knew she was there.

The thought that the Empress had taken Shao Yin first, and that Shao Yin’s gratitude had deepened after the Empress gifted her a residence, filled her heart with bitter jealousy.

This jealousy burned like poison, making her chest ache.

Chunfeng, who sat beside her attending to her needs, shrank back, even slowing her breathing, afraid of being blamed.

Liang Fujun stared in Shao Yin’s direction, then suddenly called out, “Shao Yin, come inside.”

Shao Yin preferred sitting inside the carriage, where a small stove provided warmth, unlike the cold wind that blew on the carriage roof.

But no eunuch was allowed inside a carriage.

The day before yesterday, when the Empress came to inspect the quarters, everyone was dressed in casual attire. The Empress told them not to be formal, so she and Su Zhongjie were able to sit inside the carriage.

Shao Yin was certain that Liang Fujun, unlike the Empress, wasn’t being considerate by letting her sit inside the carriage.

Liang Fujun wasn’t being considerate at all. She simply wanted those watching her to report to the Empress that Shao Yin had been sitting inside her carriage, not on the roof.

The Empress didn’t want Shao Yin to get too close to her, so Liang Fujun insisted on making Shao Yin close to her.

But when she saw Shao Yin’s nose and ears bright red from the cold after climbing into the carriage, her heart softened. She had intended to scold her, but what came out was: “It was so cold outside. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Shao Yin stared at Liang Fujun in surprise.

Unexpectedly, Liang Fujun’s mood seemed to improve considerably. She leaned lazily against the cushions, letting out a cold laugh, though her expression held a hint of playful annoyance. “Don’t you know to act like those pampered eunuchs, flattering your mistress to win her favor?”

Shao Yin looked as if she had heard some outrageous tale, her eyes widening with astonishment.

A servant acting coquettish and pleading for favor from their master… It wasn’t that she’d never seen it before—some servants had begged the Emperor, and some imperial concubines had begged the Empress.

But for her…

She couldn’t do it.

Shao Yin flushed crimson, utterly unable to imagine what she’d look like acting coquettish. She’d even believed she was incapable of such behavior.

Yet now she realized she had done it before.

It was when Liang Fujun had forced her to say, “Please help me.”

Liang Fujun watched Shao Yin blush at her words, feeling a surge of satisfaction. She relished the sensation of controlling Shao Yin’s emotions, and she delighted in the way Shao Yin’s moods shifted in response to her.

That’s why the Empress’s attempt to comfort Shao Yin had enraged her so. How could someone she intended to control fall under the influence of another? This person belonged to her alone.

Liang Fujun even smiled, her smile both bewitching and sinister. “What, have you forgotten how you pleaded with me for help?”

Shao Yin’s face burned even hotter.

Was that what acting coquettish looked like?
But hadn’t she been forced into it?

She lowered her head, unwilling to speak to Liang Fujun again.

This woman had a penchant for tormenting others.

Liang Fujun, however, seemed intent on tormenting her further. A cruel smile spread across her lips as she murmured, “When we return, I want you to beg me to let you ride in the carriage instead of walking in the wind.”

Shao Yin thought, Impossible. This can’t possibly happen.

Liang Fujun continued, “While we’re at the Traveling Palace, you’ll be the one to attend to me during my hot spring baths.”

Chunfeng, who was listening nearby, nearly jumped out of the carriage.

The Noble Consort was actually ordering a man to serve her during her hot spring baths!

Though this man was a eunuch, no eunuch had ever been so intimate with a consort before! This would surely invite malicious gossip!

But Chunfeng didn’t dare protest.

The Noble Consort looked dangerously unhinged. Who would dare provoke her now?

Shao Yin was even more horrified than Chunfeng.

Though she was a servant in the palace, even the nobles preferred female attendants for such intimate tasks. At most, she helped the Emperor dress and undress, but never with his undergarments.

What did it mean to “attend to the Noble Consort during her hot spring baths”? Did she have to wash her hair and body?

She lowered her head, suddenly feeling the charcoal fire in the small carriage burn too fiercely. How could it make her face flush so hot?

Her bashful, head-downcast demeanor pleased Liang Fujun. The madam was impulsive and reckless when her mood struck. Without hesitation, she leaned forward, revealing her pale, delicate collarbone and half her chest. With a crimson-painted fingertip, she lifted Shao Yin’s chin, forcing her to look up.

A gleam of domineering satisfaction and suggestive teasing flashed in her eyes. “Flushing so deeply? It looks like you don’t want to serve me.”

“Why not do as I suggested earlier—sweet-talk me? I’ll grant your request and reward you with a private hot spring.”

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