After Transmigrating Into A Eunuch, I Became Famous In The Harem - Chapter 8

Shao Yin entered the main hall and stood in a corner with Su Zhongjie.

Compared to Su Zhongjie’s robust frame, Shao Yin appeared delicate and frail. Yet her refined features meant that at first glance, she didn’t inspire any negative feelings.

Noble Consort Liang Fujun, with her phoenix eyes narrowing, glanced at the eunuch who had captivated the Emperor for three months. Her light, mocking laughter carried a hint of arrogance, her eyes gleaming with eagerness to witness a good show. “Your Majesty the Empress,” she announced, “His Majesty visited my palace last night.”

Shao Yin knew exactly who the Noble Consort was addressing.

The Emperor had doted on her in the palace, not setting foot in the Imperial Harem for three months.

Everyone saw this as her great honor, believing her cunning had driven the Emperor to such extremes, and that his actions proved his profound love for her.

But to Shao Yin, it felt utterly revolting.

Should anyone be moved by the “true devotion” of a man with thousands of beauties at his disposal who suddenly stopped visiting the harem?

If he truly believed in monogamy, he wouldn’t have developed this sentiment only after meeting her. He should have been that kind of person all along.

Shao Yin had expected the Emperor to return to the Imperial Harem and visit other concubines. She couldn’t believe that a man so addicted to wine and women would truly forsake his harem of beauties to spend the rest of his life devoted solely to one person.

Such men only existed in those unrealistic web novels. How could they possibly exist in reality? Even though she was now living inside a novel, she refused to believe in the cliché of a reformed playboy.

She had never felt any affection for the Emperor, so disappointment was a foreign emotion to her.

Lowering her head, she listened to the Noble Consort continue, “Yesterday, I wasn’t available to attend to His Majesty due to some indisposition. But the Junior Attendants in my courtyard were quite eager. Two of them kept His Majesty entertained all night.”

As the Noble Consort finished speaking, Shao Yin felt her gaze settle on her again.

It took all her self-control to suppress a look of disgust.

He’s still the same fucking 3P man. [3P-Protection, Procreation, and Provision]

Both the Empress and the Noble Consort were watching Shao Yin intently, eager to see how this eunuch who had enjoyed the Emperor’s exclusive favor for three months would react to this news.

But they didn’t see the reaction they were expecting from Shao Yin.

A moment later, the Empress understood.

Though their few days together hadn’t given her a complete understanding of Shao Yin, the Empress had come to believe that this eunuch wasn’t the type to dream of becoming an imperial favorite.

He seemed content with his lot, perfectly at ease serving as a low-ranking eunuch in the Empress’s Palace.

When the Emperor visited last, the two of them, along with the Shadow Guard, had deceived His Majesty to spare Shao Yin a night of kneeling punishment.

If Shao Yin truly sought to become the Emperor’s favored eunuch, he wouldn’t have risked death to secretly exempt himself from such a punishment.

Thinking this, the Empress felt a pang of reluctance at allowing the Noble Consort to ridicule Shao Yin so.

Her cool gaze, like an autumn breeze, settled on the Noble Consort, her voice icy with a chill that carried a hint of desolation: “Noble Consort, you need not flaunt the Emperor’s favor before me.”

The Noble Consort’s expression hardened as she looked up at the Empress, her eyes brimming with arrogant disdain. “You think I’m flaunting it to you?”

She let out a soft, insincere laugh, her smile not reaching her cold eyes. “What I’m curious about is why the Empress suddenly feels compelled to defend this eunuch.”

Her eyes glinted mischievously, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Could it be that this eunuch actually possesses some cunning? Not only has he monopolized the Emperor’s favor, but even you, Empress, lavish him with affection.”

In the past, the Empress and Ruyi had secretly ridiculed Shao Yin behind her back. Now, the Noble Consort openly voiced this insult.

This demonstrated her unchecked arrogance within the palace, showing she cared little for even the Empress’s dignity.

Shao Yin lowered her head, pondering. Could the Noble Consort be the Great Female Protagonist?

The Great Female Protagonist certainly needed a bold spirit, and the Noble Consort possessed such audacity.

But could someone so reckless truly be the Great Female Protagonist?

Or perhaps she was merely masking her true nature, using this arrogant facade to deceive everyone, step by step, to achieve her goals and reach the Great Female Protagonist’s fate.

Shao Yin couldn’t be certain. She could only observe and wait.

As she gradually integrated into the Imperial Harem, she would slowly discern who the true Great Female Protagonist was. The woman destined to ascend to the position of Empress Dowager.

The Noble Consort’s words, however, infuriated the Empress.

What exactly does the Noble Consort mean by “Shao Yin has such skill”? As if there’s something improper between Shao Yin and me, as if she’s using some sort of coquettish tricks to win my favor.

In this Imperial Harem, there are indeed some Imperial Consorts who have improper relations with their personal eunuchs.

After all, eunuchs are incapable of fathering children, so they won’t make the Imperial Consorts pregnant. And as slaves, serving their masters is their duty.

So for some Imperial Consorts, eunuchs are quite convenient.

But that absolutely doesn’t include Guan Zhixian herself.

Today, she only touched her personal eunuch’s chest to get some answers.

She looked coldly at the Noble Consort. “Has the Noble Consort been drinking today? Surely she knows what should and shouldn’t be said. Does she need this Empress to personally teach her?”

No matter how arrogant the Noble Consort was, she still harbored some respect for the Empress.

She restrained her expression. “This subject has overstepped.”

The Noble Consort hadn’t come today for any other reason than to tell Shao Yin that the Emperor had visited her palace yesterday and spent the night with the two Junior Attendants residing in the side hall, causing a commotion all night.

She wanted to embarrass the eunuch who had been so smug in the Imperial Harem for the past three months, but she hadn’t anticipated that the news would leave him utterly unmoved.

The Noble Consort didn’t linger long in the Empress’s Palace and soon rose to leave.

On her way back, she couldn’t help but wonder if all the information she’d received was false.

Turning to the Head Maid beside her, she asked, “Is the information you gathered true? That eunuch didn’t seem the least bit upset to hear that the Emperor had slept with other women.”

The Head Maid leaned closer and whispered, “I heard from other sources that the Emperor has repeatedly vowed to Eunuch Shao that he will only ever love him, and no one else will ever catch his eye.”

The Noble Consort scoffed, “Who would believe such nonsense?”

Truth be told, when she first entered the palace, she had believed it for a few days herself.

During those days, the Emperor had spent every night in her palace, making her believe she was truly his special one.

At the time, she had been only sixteen, still naive and foolishly hopeful about her feelings for the Emperor.

A few days later, the Emperor took a Junior Attendant from the side hall of her palace.

At the time, it disgusted her so much that she even sulked for a while.

Now, looking back, she realized how naive she had been.

Perhaps Eunuch Shao understood the situation even better than she did.

The Noble Consort hadn’t attended the Emperor’s bedchamber in years. The women of the Imperial Harem all believed the Emperor frequented her palace because he still favored her.

In reality, it was always the Junior Attendants in the side hall who greeted the Emperor and took him away.

These Junior Attendants schemed endlessly, using every trick they could muster, to snatch him from her grasp. Little did they know that she had grown tired of the Emperor and deliberately passed him on to them.

Of course, in this palace, no matter how arrogant or domineering one’s nature, one could never voice their contempt for the Emperor aloud.

A sudden idea sprang to the Noble Consort’s mind.

A sly, fox-like glint flashed in her eyes, making her face appear even more bewitchingly alluring. She leaned close to the Head Maid and whispered, “If the Empress can bring Eunuch Shao to her palace to serve her, shouldn’t I be able to demand him too? To humiliate and trample him?”

The Head Maid felt a sudden chill and, in a rare act of defiance, tugged at the Noble Consort’s sleeve. “Your Majesty, weren’t you planning to listen to the opera? That troupe has so many famous plays. If you want to watch them all, you won’t have time to bother with that Eunuch Shao.”

The Head Maid closest to the Noble Consort was known for her steadiness. Her most common task was to restrain this impulsive and headstrong noble consort.

The attendants following the Noble Consort breathed sighs of relief.

Without this Head Maid, none of them could have held her back. They’d suffered countless punishments because of her recklessness.

The Noble Consort’s impulse had been fleeting, not necessarily meant to be acted upon.

She nodded, resting her hand on the Head Maid’s wrist, her chin lifting slightly. “You must arrange the opera troupe’s performances perfectly. We’ll be relying on them to pass the idle hours these next few days.”

After the Noble Consort left, the Empress waved away the two eunuchs guarding the palace, leaving only Ruyi by her side.

Now alone with the Empress, Ruyi’s expression grew even darker than the Empress’s, her resentment palpable. “Your Majesty, why did you indulge the Noble Consort so today? You have no idea what the ladies of the Imperial Harem and the palace servants are saying behind your back.”

How could Guan Zhixian not know?

They were implying that she, as Empress, lacked dignity and authority, allowing even the Noble Consort to trample over her and act with impunity.

Guan Zhixian let out a soft chuckle, the detachment in her eyes softening slightly. “You know her as well as I do. She has a sharp tongue, but she’s a good person at heart. Today’s outburst wasn’t directed at me anyway. She spouts such harsh words all the time. Even the Emperor gets a tongue-lashing when her temper flares.”

“Next time, send all those gossipers to her palace. After a couple of visits, they’ll never dare speak ill of me again.”

Ruyi blinked.

That’s true.

The tension on her face melted like fog. “You always know how to handle things, Your Majesty. We can’t shoulder every burden ourselves.”

After a moment, Ruyi added, “Your Majesty, it’s the full moon today. The Emperor will definitely come.”

“Will you attend to His Majesty tonight?”

The faint smile on Guan Zhixian’s face gradually faded. “Eunuch Shao has monopolized the Emperor’s attention for three months now. Are the ladies of the Imperial Harem growing restless?”

“Send for two to come keep me company in my palace. It’ll be a good opportunity for them.”

That’s why she didn’t want to attend the Emperor tonight.

The Empress hadn’t been attending him for a long time either.

The Emperor preferred the tender young maidens. He had no interest in women nearing thirty.

She herself had two Imperial Princes.
With two legitimate Imperial Princes by her side, why would she bother attending to the Emperor?

For the women of the Imperial Harem, a son was far more reliable than a husband.

As for the Junior Attendants and minor concubines she summoned, most willingly attended the Emperor.

Some sought to secure their positions through imperial favor, while others hoped to conceive a child.

The women of the Imperial Harem weren’t merely wives and concubines. They were also connected to the major official families of the court.

Thus, some concubines needed the Emperor’s favor not only to secure their position within the harem but also to bolster their families’ standing in the court.

Naturally, the Empress was willing to accommodate some of these concubines.

After all, the court was rife with factional struggles, and her father needed a strong network of supporters around him.

Ruyi didn’t hold a grudge against the Noble Consort, largely because of their fathers’ relationship. The two men often supported each other in court, and their daughters, having lost hope for the Emperor’s favor, naturally wouldn’t squabble over such a worthless man. Instead, they cultivated a cordial relationship.

Having received the Empress’s instructions, Ruyi immediately set about preparing. As she exited the palace, she glanced at Shao Yin, instinctively wanting to glare. But for some reason, the image of Shao Yin plucking fallen leaves for her flashed unbidden into her mind.

Ruyi flushed, not with shame, but with anger—anger at her own spinelessness. She snorted softly at Shao Yin, then turned to Su Zhongjie and said, “Eunuch Su, you may attend the Imperial Consort now. Her Majesty has entrusted me with some tasks to handle.”

With that, Ruyi strode away.

She left with her chin slightly raised, refusing to give Shao Yin a friendly look.

It seemed that simply not assigning him any tasks was already a form of torment and humiliation for Shao Yin.

Yet Shao Yin was perfectly content basking in the sun outside the palace hall.
The autumn sunlight was bright and cheerful, its warmth seeping into her bones. She had no desire to go inside, where a sudden gust of wind could send a chill through her.

Su Zhongjie also had no desire to enter.

What could he say? That he didn’t want the Empress groping his chest again?

He might be a eunuch, but he was still a grown man. If he voiced such a sentiment, wouldn’t he be mocked for half a year?

But the Empress had pressed her fingers into his chest with such force. Even now, his ribs ached from the pressure.

He glanced sideways at Shao Yin. “Why don’t you go, Eunuch Shao? I… I have urgent business and can’t hold it any longer.”

Shao Yin: “……”

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