After Transmigrating Into A Eunuch, I Became Famous In The Harem - Chapter 43

“Come here,” the Empress’s voice echoed from the hall.

The hall was candlelit, never as bright as the courtyard outside. The Empress’s figure remained hidden in the shadows of the room. Shao Yin couldn’t see her face or expression, only hearing her icy, indifferent voice.

Yet Shao Yin couldn’t refuse. She stepped forward, one foot in front of the other, until she stood before the Empress.

The Empress turned to Su Zhongjie and Ruyi beside her. The two hesitated, wanting to speak but afraid to defy the Empress’s frosty demeanor. They slowly retreated to the doorway. Su Zhongjie glanced back at Shao Yin’s silhouette before finally closing the hall door.

Now only Shao Yin and Guan Zhixian remained in the room. An oppressive silence settled over them, broken only by the crackling of the charcoal fire. The flickering shadows blurred their outlines.

Shao Yin stood before Guan Zhixian, awaiting her punishment. She didn’t dare look at the Empress’s face, but she could feel her icy gaze piercing through her.

She held a disciplinary ruler, its pitch-black wood stark against the snow-white tips of the Empress’s fingers. Its origin remained a mystery.

The ruler tapped lightly against the Empress’s palm, each strike gentle yet profoundly unsettling.

After a prolonged silence, the Empress finally spoke: “Shao Yin, I now understand that you never remember a word you say. You’ve never uttered a single honest word to me.”

How could Shao Yin possibly misunderstand? The Empress was referring to all those insincere flatteries she’d uttered while desperately clinging to survival in the Imperial Harem—promises she’d never intended to keep.

Phrases like “the Empress is different,” “you hold a special place in my heart.”

She’d even repeated such lies to the Noble Consort later.

But what choice did she have?

In this palace, she was nothing more than a slave—a eunuch. No matter how favored by her mistresses, they remained the very same mistresses who could end her life at any moment.

She slowly knelt before the Empress, lowering her head and closing her eyes.
She was like a fish on a chopping block, utterly at the mercy of Guan Zhixian’s blade.

The icy ruler pressed against her chin, sending a shiver through her body. The breath she’d been suppressing escaped as a trembling gasp.

Her gasp echoed distinctly in the room.

Guan Zhixian chuckled at the sound. “You’re afraid too? I thought someone as reckless as you would be fearless.”

She pressed down slightly with the disciplinary ruler, lifting Shao Yin’s chin.

Seeing Shao Yin’s tightly closed eyes and trembling lashes, Guan Zhixian’s heart softened momentarily, only to swell with anger moments later.

Did she act like this in the other concubines’ quarters too? Guan Zhixian wondered. Did she put on that pitiful act and provoke the other concubines, making them want to bring her back to their own quarters?

She pressed the icy ruler even more firmly against Shao Yin’s chin.

“Shao Yin, in this Imperial Harem, the greatest taboo is for a servant to serve two masters.”

“I’m punishing you lightly now. You should remember my kindness to you.”

The ruler slid away from her chin, and Shao Yin’s head drooped again.

Guan Zhixian’s gaze remained cold as she stared at Shao Yin. “Raise your hand.”

Shao Yin lifted her hand, her fingertips trembling.

Guan Zhixian gazed at the pale, rosy palm, then reached out and took her hand, gently stroking the side of her palm with her thumb.

She could feel Shao Yin’s hand trembling, and she suppressed the softness in her eyes.

Tenderness and gentleness would only make these servants grow arrogant from favor and climb the ladder of privilege.

Suddenly, a cold ruler struck her palm.

The sharp crack echoed through the hall.

Shao Yin cried out in pain, clenching her hand and instinctively trying to break free from the Empress’s grip. But the Empress held her fast, making escape impossible.

“This is merely a small punishment,” the Empress said, her voice light and icy, devoid of emotion.

As soon as she spoke, Shao Yin’s tears unexpectedly spilled over. The Empress’s cool gaze faltered, and a flicker of uncontrollable panic flashed deep within her.

She raised Shao Yin’s face with the ruler again, and her watery eyes came into view—eyes brimming with tears, glistening with unshed tears, filled with a grievance that could no longer be concealed.

Shao Yin turned her face away, unwilling for the Empress to see her in such a state.

Yet the Empress felt her composure unraveling.

How could this be? Why this tightness in my chest?

She wanted to maintain her usual icy demeanor, but her voice trembled before she could stop it. “Do you feel wronged?”

This was the first time Shao Yin had spoken with such genuine sincerity. “I wouldn’t dare.”

What could she possibly dare? She was merely the lowest form of servant in this feudal society, a tool exploited by her own family, unable to return home, a pitiful soul whose entire life was controlled by her mistresses.

How could she dare to feel wronged? A servant has no right to feel wronged. Her entire life would be spent groveling.

The Empress watched her intently. Shao Yin averted her gaze, tears spilling from her eyes and tracing paths down her pale cheeks.

The Empress fixed her gaze on Shao Yin, slowly, as if understanding her sense of grievance. “Is it because you’ve always strived for perfection in this palace that you feel wronged?”

Shao Yin didn’t want to cry. Who would care if she wept now? No one would comfort her; it might even increase her mistress’s disdain.

Yet her throat ached, sobs escaped her lips, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

The Empress’s words only intensified her emotions.
Even though the Empress still held Shao Yin’s hand, still bearing the red marks from the disciplinary ruler, even then, those words stirred her heart, stirring the turbulent emotions within her.

Guan Zhixian set the disciplinary ruler on the nearby table and reached out to gently stroke Shao Yin’s cheek, wiping away her tears.

The icy tears chilled her fingers, and Guan Zhixian’s voice softened further as she murmured, “It was my fault. I never considered your position.”

Her judgment had been clouded by the beast within her heart. She had been consumed by the desire to possess this person, blind to their circumstances.

As the Empress spoke, Shao Yin found it even harder to suppress the emotions surging within her.

Unwilling to show her vulnerability, she lowered her head, tears splashing onto the black floor and scattering into tiny droplets.

With her head bowed, her slender white neck was exposed, vulnerable and fragile. Her stifled sobs, like thin threads, wound around Guan Zhixian’s heart.

Guan Zhixian kept one hand clasping Shao Yin’s, while the other rested against her soft neck, guiding her forehead to rest against her own knee.

Feeling the slight tremors of the slender body beneath her hand, Guan Zhixian’s brow creased with regret.

After a long while, Shao Yin finally regained her composure and stilled her tears.

Guan Zhixian helped Shao Yin sit up and settle beside her. She cradled Shao Yin’s hand in one palm while pressing an ice-cold compress against the reddened palm she had slapped moments before.

Zhixian distinctly remembered not striking hard, yet the vivid redness on Shao Yin’s palm served as a stark accusation of her heartlessness and cruelty.

After a moment, Zhixian sighed. “I hit too hard.”

She looked up at Shao Yin. The corners of Shao Yin’s eyes and brows were still tinged with red, her nose flushed crimson—she looked utterly pitiful.

As Zhixian gazed at her, her chest felt like cotton batting scorched by the summer sun. A fierce emotion slowly tore through the cotton, threatening to burst forth.

What was this?

She didn’t know.

She called softly, “Shao Yin.”

Shao Yin had been deliberately avoiding Zhixian’s gaze, unwilling to show too much vulnerability. But at the sound of her name, she instinctively met Zhixian’s eyes and was enveloped in a wave of tenderness.

Her heart ached again, and she quickly averted her gaze.

She hated herself for being so weak. She had been bullied by the Empress, yet when she saw the woman who had mistreated her show even a hint of vulnerability, a flicker of kindness, her heart ached and stirred.

The Empress’s soft sigh drifted to her ears, a sound of resignation and indulgence. But what was she resigned to? What was she indulging?

“I left the palace without anyone knowing,” Guan Zhixian said. “I must return now. I was wrong today, but I will make it up to you later.”

Shao Yin’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her voice hoarse from crying. “There’s no need. It was my fault to begin with. You don’t need to compensate me, Imperial Consort.”

“Then you can’t stop me,” Guan Zhixian replied in her usual imperious tone.

Shao Yin fell silent, her lips twitching slightly, as if pouting.

Guan Zhixian laid aside the handkerchief, now damp from melting snow. She gripped Shao Yin’s hand briefly before releasing it. “I’m leaving now. The New Year’s Day festivities are approaching, and the palace will be bustling with activity. I won’t be able to watch over you constantly, so be careful.”

Seeing Shao Yin nod obediently, she added, “But there’s no need to be afraid. If trouble truly comes, I will protect you.”

After the Empress left, Shao Yin stood at the hall entrance, gazing at the white, misty sky, feeling wings sprout in her heart.

She yearned to fly free from these shackles, to walk fearlessly down the road, to witness this ancient world, and to live a peaceful, joyful life.

Yet she couldn’t escape, and she still had to serve the Imperial Consorts in the palace.

The next day, Shao Yin slept until nearly noon.

The Governess had taken care of the kitchen arrangements, and a young maid helped her wash up and dress. The Governess brought a midday meal, simple yet delicious.

After eating, she had to go help Consort Zhen buy hairpins.

She walked, accompanied by the young maid.

Shao Yin looked around curiously, stopping to admire the unusual sights.

The maid, Xique, was young and chatty. Seeing Shao Yin standing by the street, peering around with eyes sparkling with curiosity, she couldn’t resist asking, “Eunuch Shao, have you rarely left the palace to see the sights before?”

The Original Host had grown up confined to the women’s quarters and had few memories of shopping. Shao Yin herself had never witnessed such scenes. Even the depictions in historical dramas paled in comparison to the vibrant reality of this ancient era.

Shao Yin wasn’t cold or reserved. She smiled and replied to Xique, “Yes, I rarely come out. This street is so lively.”

Xique suddenly felt closer to Eunuch Shao. “It’ll be even livelier on New Year’s Day. The street next to this one is hosting a lantern festival that will last until the Lantern Festival.”

Even though Shao Yin knew she couldn’t attend, just hearing about it lifted her spirits.

So, she went to the hairpin shop to pick out a hairpin for Consort Zhen. Instead of feeling dull, she found herself in the mood for a stroll.

Stepping into the hairpin shop, Shao Yin was dazzled by the display.

The hairpins were all handmade, many exquisitely crafted. Even though she couldn’t wear them herself, dressed as a man, she wanted to buy some to collect.

She asked an assistant to bring out a velvet flower hairpin and played with it in her hand. The assistant smiled and said, “Eunuch Shao, the Empress has given instructions that if you see anything you like, it should be charged to her account.”

Surprise flickered in Shao Yin’s eyes, but she ultimately refused. “No need. I can pay myself.”
“Why not?” A familiar voice came from behind. Shao Yin turned to see the Empress approaching in her usual blue robes, a faint smile playing on her lips. “I promised yesterday that I would compensate you. Are you defying my decree?”

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