After Transmigrating Into A Eunuch, I Became Famous In The Harem - Chapter 4

A gentle breeze swept through the dark night.

Inside the Empress Hall, candlelight flickered, casting wavering shadows that intertwined the silhouettes of the two figures within the room. The air seemed to still, leaving only the soft sound of their breathing.

And then, for some inexplicable reason, Guan Zhixian’s heart began to race.

Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it would burst from her chest. She raised her gaze to the person before her, the closeness between them suggesting an intimate connection. She could even see the faint down on Shao Yin’s pale cheeks, illuminated by the dim light.

For a moment, neither moved.

Guan Zhixian suppressed her breathing, drawing long, deliberate breaths as she studied the eunuch’s features reflected in her eyes.

Shao Yin, however, glanced warily toward the bed canopy, where the Emperor lay—a man who could end their lives at any moment.

Fortunately, the Emperor remained asleep, his breathing still even. Shao Yin, who had turned slightly toward the bed canopy, imperceptibly sighed in relief.

When she turned back, she realized they were standing too close. The Empress’s slender, delicate hand was pressed against Shao Yin’s chest.

Shao Yin’s heart skipped a beat. She straightened up, pulling back slightly, and took hold of the Empress’s elbow, gently moving her hand away.

The touch was broken.

In the silent night, their breathing seemed to grow louder.

Shao Yin didn’t dare look at Guan Zhixian, immediately lowering her gaze and straining to help the woman up.

But the fingertips gripping Guan Zhixian’s elbow trembled slightly.

Instead of rising with Shao Yin’s assistance, Guan Zhixian leaned forward, her sudden intensity like a violent storm tearing through the still night air, surging toward Shao Yin.

Holding her breath, Shao Yin instinctively leaned back.

Yet Guan Zhixian drew closer, her faintly fragrant breath brushing against Shao Yin’s face as her cheek gently pressed against her ear.

Though their bodies remained unconnected and their cheeks separated by a mere inch, Shao Yin could feel the warmth of Guan Zhixian’s breath.

The atmosphere instantly thickened into something suggestive and alluring.

Their overlapping breaths, rising and falling, carried an indescribable restlessness.

Shao Yin turned her head away again.

Guan Zhixian lowered her gaze, steadying herself. Her voice, barely above a whisper, brushed against Shao Yin’s earlobe, warm breath caressing the delicate skin: “Eunuch Shao is the Emperor’s trusted confidant. Why this… tonight?”

She didn’t believe this eunuch truly harbored good intentions.

Yet as the cool words left her lips, the warmth of her breath stained Shao Yin’s earlobe crimson.

That earlobe, like fine, blood-red jade, carried an inexplicable fragility, as if a single touch would shatter it.

Guan Zhixian’s eyes flickered slightly, her heart skipping a beat and her cheeks flushing for reasons she couldn’t fathom.

Before Shao Yin could respond, she pulled herself away, using Shao Yin’s arm to steady herself as she stood.

Shao Yin rose immediately, stepping aside to clear the path to the low couch.

Watching the Empress walk toward the couch, Shao Yin followed slowly, her footsteps betraying a nervousness she hadn’t anticipated.

She now regretted her impulsive gesture.

She shouldn’t have acted so rashly, offering kindness to the Empress under these circumstances.

If the Empress truly caused a commotion, waking the Emperor and framing Shao Yin with false accusations, even if the Emperor didn’t order her death, he would surely put her in a precarious position.
Yet, even as regret washed over her, her heart softened again.

Could she really have just watched a woman kneel in the hall all night, all because of that arrogant, foolish man?

The thought of turning a blind eye was unbearable.

Well, it’s done now, she thought. Let’s just take things one step at a time.

Her heart raced, pounding against her ribcage.

As she followed the Empress, the faint, delicate fragrance of her presence lingered in the air.

Earlier, when Shao Yin had moved so forcefully, so close, she’d nearly been frozen in place.

It seemed the Empress wasn’t as virtuous and composed as she appeared.

The Empress sat on the low couch, leaning against its armrest, her eyes closed in an attempt to rest.

Shao Yin stood nearby, ready to attend to her at any moment, awaiting her command.

The fingers of the hand the Empress rested against her forehead twitched slightly, her thumb and forefinger gently touching. In her mind, she recalled the softness she had felt when their palms touched moments before.

She raised her gaze to the short, slender figure of Eunuch Shao.

Her gaze slowly traveled down, lingering on his waist, so narrow it could be encircled by a single hand.

Then it returned to his feet, still hidden beneath his robes.

She cleared her throat softly, so faintly that only Shao Yin’s keen ears could catch it.

He immediately turned toward the Empress, bowing slightly and looking up, awaiting her instructions.

Instead, the Empress pointed to the seat beside the low couch.

Shao Yin’s eyes flickered slightly.

Was the Empress inviting her to sit?
She took a small step toward the couch. Seeing no change in the Empress’s expression, she confirmed her guess was correct.

Even seated, she dared not relax her posture.

The palace was ever fraught with danger; how could she afford to lower her guard?

Yet exhaustion eventually claimed her.

Late that night, unable to resist any longer, she leaned forward onto the low table and drifted into a light slumber.

Just before dawn, a faint sound suddenly came from a corner of the hall.

Shao Yin instantly woke up, startled to find herself not in the Emperor’s palace. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead, but she quickly remembered what had happened the night before.

She immediately glanced down at her side. The Empress was already adjusting her clothes, rising calmly and walking to the spot where she had knelt the previous day to kneel again.

Shao Yin also stood up, straightened her attire, and nodded slightly in the direction of the Shadow Guard, silently expressing her gratitude.

Then she slowly approached the bed and said in a deliberately lowered voice, “Your Majesty, it’s time to rise.”

A moment later, a man’s impatient and irritable voice came from the bed. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost dawn, Your Majesty,” Shao Yin replied.

The man on the bed was breathing heavily, clearly a morning grump.

Shao Yin couldn’t understand it. If he couldn’t get up, why not boldly change the court session time? Why torment the slaves who came to wake him all day?

The bed curtains were suddenly thrown open. The man on the bed flung them aside with all his might, the heavy fabric whipping into Shao Yin’s robes.

The Empress, kneeling nearby, looked up at the commotion and just caught sight of the curtains striking Shao Yin.

For some reason, a deep irritation stirred within her.

She had always assumed this eunuch enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, at least that’s what she’d thought when she saw them together in the Imperial Garden that day.

But it seemed his life wasn’t as idyllic as she’d imagined.

Perhaps because he had shown her kindness last night, she no longer loathed him as before, but instead felt a pang of pity.

Everyone in the palace spoke of his favored position, calling him the Emperor’s current favorite and a target for elimination.

Yet here he was, still being trampled underfoot by the Emperor, treated like any ordinary slave.

He still had to help the Emperor dress, and if the slightest mistake occurred during the process, the Emperor, still half-asleep and irritable, would glare at him with furious eyes.

He had to kneel and help the Emperor put on his shoes, and for merely being a half-second too slow, he received a vicious kick.

Only after everything was settled and the Emperor’s morning grumpiness had faded did he finally turn to Shao Yin with a tender gaze, as if genuinely apologetic. “I’m always so irritable in the morning. You must have suffered because of me. Being scolded and kicked like that must have been humiliating.”

Shao Yin couldn’t even utter the customary “I dare not,” only lowering her eyes and murmuring, “It’s because Your Majesty worked so hard yesterday.”

The Emperor was quite pleased.

Finally, the Emperor turned his gaze to the Empress, his satisfaction growing as he took in her kneeling figure, which had remained bowed throughout the night.

“From now on,” he declared, “I expect the Empress to stay within her proper bounds and refrain from any more cunning schemes.”

With that, he departed, leading Shao Yin away.

The palace gates swung open, and the Emperor strode out, flanked by his attendants.

Ruyi, the Empress’s personal maid, knelt to respectfully see the Emperor off. Only when his figure had vanished from sight did she rise and hurry to the Empress’s side.

Her eyes reddened with heartache as she helped the Empress sit on the low couch. She immediately called for palace attendants to bring the medicinal ointments she had prepared.
Knowing the Empress disliked being served by others, she dismissed the attendants and knelt on the footstool herself, lifting the Empress’s skirt and undergarments. Her voice choked with emotion as she said, “After kneeling all night, Your Majesty’s knees must be swollen and red…”

As she finished speaking, she saw the Empress’s knees, which were only slightly flushed—nowhere near as swollen and red as she had imagined.

Her sobs caught in her throat.

Last night, standing outside the door, she had clearly heard the Emperor order the Empress to kneel all night. If she had truly knelt all night, wouldn’t her knees be far more swollen and red than this?

Ruyi stared blankly at the array of medicinal ointments she had prepared, momentarily stunned, forgetting even to cry.

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