Chapter 10
When the news reached the Imperial Study, Li Zhan was reviewing documents. He paused upon hearing the report and instinctively looked toward Dong Dong.
Dong Dong, equally bewildered, met his Wang Ye’s gaze, not quite understanding the meaning behind it.
Li Zhan set down his red brush, glanced at the eunuch who had brought the message, and asked, “Where was he found?”
“Your Highness, the body was found in the Lotus Pond. It has already been retrieved, but we dared not take any further action and have come to report to you,” the eunuch replied.
Li Zhan’s gaze faltered as he suddenly recalled the young eunuch he had seen the other day, the one who had been injured. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought. But he quickly regained his composure and turned to Dong Dong, asking, “How did the literary examination go?”
“The literary examination…” Dong Dong stammered as he realized the situation. He quickly responded, “I had just arrived outside the palace school when I heard this news and came to report it immediately.”
Seeing that Li Zhan remained silent, Dong Dong added, “But none of the eunuchs selected that day should be absent; otherwise, Mr. Lu would have sent someone to inform us.” He carefully considered his Wang Ye’s thoughts, worried that Li Zhan might be concerned about the young master of the Ji family, so he offered these words to reassure him.
In other words, the eunuch who had been pulled from the Lotus Pond was most certainly not Young Master Ji.
“Understood,” Li Zhan acknowledged with a nod. “I will go take a look. You go to the palace school and take care of the matter.”
Dong Dong hurriedly agreed and returned to the palace school.
The Lotus Pond in the palace was not large, located in a corner of the imperial garden, surrounded by rockeries and a few low trees. On ordinary days, palace servants rarely passed by this area, especially since it was not yet the blooming season, and there was no need for daily maintenance.
But today, a crowd of eunuchs had gathered around one corner of the Lotus Pond, and even a few bold palace maids were lurking nearby, peering over curiously.
On a wet patch of ground near the pond lay a corpse, completely unclothed, with only a cloth draped over the waist. The exposed lower back and spine bore visible bruises. The body, having been submerged in water, was somewhat swollen, the skin taking on a pale bluish hue, making the injuries appear less striking.
“Is it really him?”
“You were late, so you didn’t see it. He had injuries on his back, definitely left from some illicit affair!”
“A eunuch, who should have served properly, instead engaged in such indecent behavior with a man. Now that the rumors are spreading, it seems he was silenced by his illicit lover.”
“Lucky they found him, or the entire Inner Attendant Department would have been thrown into chaos because of his scandal…”
The gathered eunuchs murmured among themselves, their initial sympathy for the deceased gradually turning into indifference. Some even felt a sense of relief that he had died, thinking that if the scandal had implicated the Inner Attendant Department, everyone would have been in trouble.
“Wang Ye is here,” someone whispered, and the crowd quickly bowed their heads and stepped aside.
Li Zhan was caught off guard by the sight of the corpse on the ground, a barely perceptible flicker of emotion crossing his face.
His gaze swept over the body, pausing momentarily when he saw the bruises on the shoulders and lower back. The body was thin and frail, clearly that of a young boy, which caused Li Zhan to momentarily lose focus.
“Wang Ye, how should we handle this?” a eunuch nearby asked quietly.
Li Zhan withdrew his gaze and replied calmly, “Why was this not reported to Chief Eunuch Yao?”
The eunuch’s expression changed at these words, revealing a hint of unease.
Seeing the eunuch’s reaction, Li Zhan quickly understood the situation.
The recent rumors had caused unrest among the eunuchs. Now that they had finally found the person involved, they were hesitant to involve Yao Chang’an, fearing it would only add fuel to the fire. Especially with the imperial censors from the former court likely to seize on any misstep. Involving the Regent in handling the matter was a safer bet, given his current position of authority; no one would dare question his judgment.
Besides, the person was already dead. At this point, it was merely a formality—no need to further mishandle the situation.
At the Palace School.
After reviewing the examination papers, Lu Tingyi frowned and sighed, lamenting that among all the eunuchs in the vast palace, there wasn’t a single one who could write anything satisfactory. However, it wasn’t entirely the eunuchs’ fault; Lu Tingyi, as the Emperor’s tutor, had exceedingly high standards for assessing their writing.
“Mr. Lu, Wang Ye’s intention is that the eunuch chosen to attend His Majesty doesn’t need to be particularly literate; what matters most is that His Majesty likes them.”
Lu Tingyi sighed in frustration at Dong Dong’s words and remarked unhappily, “Then why make such a big fuss?”
“After all, it’s for choosing a companion for His Majesty; it can’t be done too carelessly,” Dong Dong replied.
Lu Tingyi was stumped by this response and, unwilling to argue further, rose, gave a bow to the young emperor, and left.
Once Lu Tingyi had departed, Dong Dong glanced at the remaining eunuchs and cleared his throat. “I have a question,” he announced. “Whoever answers it well will have a chance to serve as His Majesty’s companion.”
The eunuchs turned their gazes towards Dong Dong, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Only Ji Qingzhou, with his head lowered and deep in thought, seemed preoccupied and distracted.
“Can any of you explain to His Majesty what ‘illicit relations’ mean?” Dong Dong asked. The Regent had instructed him to choose someone who could speak well. Although Dong Dong wasn’t entirely sure what qualified as ‘speaking well,’ he recalled that Wang Ye himself had been momentarily at a loss when confronted with this question. So, he figured that anyone who could answer this question satisfactorily might pass the test.
However, he hadn’t expected the room to fall silent with fear the moment he uttered those words.
The eunuchs, having been confined to the palace school and unaware of the events outside, immediately associated the term “illicit relations” with the scandalous rumors that had spread fear throughout the Inner Attendant Department. They instinctively felt that Dong Dong’s question carried some deeper, ominous meaning, and no one dared to speak.
“Doesn’t anyone know how to answer?” Dong Dong randomly pointed to a eunuch. “You, answer.”
The young eunuch jumped in fright, stammering without producing a coherent response, and then abruptly knelt on the ground.
“I asked you to answer, not to kneel!” Dong Dong said, clearly displeased.
Usually serving closely beside the Regent, Dong Dong was considered a favored person. Seeing his displeasure, the rest of the eunuchs became even more terrified, hastily dropping to their knees.
Ji Qingzhou, lost in thought, didn’t immediately react and found himself standing alone when everyone else had knelt. Tu Dayou, who was a bit away from him, tried to reach out and pull him down, but it was too late.
Dong Dong turned to the youth who remained standing and asked, “What is your name?”
Ji Qingzhou quickly clasped his hands and replied, “This servant is named Ji Qingzhou.”
This youth was the Young Master Ji from the Ji family?
Dong Dong scrutinized Ji Qingzhou’s face. The swelling that had made him look like a pig’s head a few days ago had subsided, revealing his true appearance. Although there were still some lingering scars, they couldn’t hide his delicate features and ethereal demeanor.
Dong Dong stared at Ji Qingzhou for a long time, silently noting how strikingly handsome the young Ji family member was.
“Explain to His Majesty what ‘illicit relations’ means,” Dong Dong asked.
Since none of the other eunuchs dared to answer, he had no choice but to direct the question to Ji Qingzhou.
Ji Qingzhou’s face showed a flicker of surprise at the question. Before he could gather his thoughts, the young emperor walked over to him, his tiny feet making soft pattering sounds. The emperor looked up at Ji Qingzhou with wide, curious eyes, filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Ji Qingzhou: …
As the sky began to darken, Li Zhan finally emerged from the Office of Judicial Review, where the body had been temporarily stored.
Dong Dong had been waiting outside for a while. Once the coroner had left, he looked at Li Zhan with a questioning expression.
“Was it him?” Dong Dong asked.
“Yes,” Li Zhan responded in a low voice.
Dong Dong sighed in relief upon hearing this, feeling that the matter was finally resolved. He had previously suspected that the person involved might have been Ji Qingzhou, and he worried that his Wang Ye was showing leniency towards the Ji family, unwilling to take action against Ji Qingzhou. This would have been a lingering problem.
Now that it was confirmed that the deceased was indeed the eunuch in question, and with the person now dead, it was a small mercy in a tragic situation.
Dong Dong wanted to ask more, but the cold aura surrounding Li Zhan made it clear that he didn’t wish to discuss the matter further.
Coughing lightly to change the subject, Dong Dong said, “The companion for His Majesty has been selected.”
“Who is it?” Li Zhan asked casually.
“Haha” Dong Dong didn’t know why but he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Ji Qingzhou.”
At the sound of the name, Li Zhan’s steps noticeably paused. Dong Dong continued, “It was all done according to your instructions. His Majesty has always been fond of attractive people. Today, the moment he saw Ji Qingzhou, he couldn’t stop smiling…”
Dong Dong had been cautious about mentioning Ji Qingzhou in front of Li Zhan before, suspecting him to be the eunuch involved in the scandal. But now, knowing that Ji Qingzhou wasn’t involved, he felt no need to hold back.
“Ji Qingzhou is indeed very handsome, with the refinement of a scholarly family. Even though he’s a eunuch, he carries an air of literary elegance, so it’s no wonder His Majesty took a liking to him immediately,” Dong Dong added. “And what’s more, the question that stumped you the other day—Ji Qingzhou actually answered it today.”
Li Zhan turned to Dong Dong and asked, “What question?”
“About ‘illicit relations’…” Dong Dong replied. “I asked the eunuchs to explain, and they all were so terrified that they knelt on the ground. Only Ji Qingzhou stood tall and answered it.”
Li Zhan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “How did he explain it?”
“He said… ‘illicit relations’ is when two people achieve a kind of ultimate harmony in life,” Dong Dong replied.
Li Zhan: …
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Obrigada pela tradução 🥰💞