After Being Reborn as the Chief Eunuch Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Li Zhan had always been an early riser. Even without morning court, he still woke up early.

Reaching out beside him and not feeling the young emperor there gave him quite a scare. He walked past the screen, only to find that at some point during the night, the little one had crawled into Ji Qingzhou’s arms. Now, the two of them—one big and one small—were fast asleep, snuggled up together.

The young emperor’s sleeping posture was anything but graceful. One leg was hanging off the edge of the bed, and the other was resting against Ji Qingzhou. The blanket had long been kicked off. Worried that the boy might catch a cold, Li Zhan pulled the blanket over to cover him. But just as he bent over, his gaze inadvertently landed on the sleeping youth beside him.

When awake, the youth always carried a guarded look in his eyes, like a small animal constantly bracing for danger. But now, in his sleep, he seemed more at ease. His brows were relaxed, as if he were lost in a sweet dream.

From outside came the sound of quiet conversation. Li Zhan quickly pulled himself back to the moment and stepped out of the room.

Outside the door, Qin Zheng had woken up even earlier. The moment he saw Li Zhan, his face lit up with a knowing smile.

“Shhh,” Li Zhan raised a finger to his lips and whispered, “They’re still sleeping.”

Qin Zheng caught on and draped an arm over Li Zhan’s shoulder as they walked further away. Only when they were a good distance off did he finally speak. “Wow, you really kept this from me?”

“What are you talking about?” Li Zhan asked.

“You and… that person…” Qin Zheng lifted two fingers and made a hooking gesture, his expression full of teasing implication.

Li Zhan shot him a glare and said, “What nonsense are you imagining now?”

“Can’t admit it, huh?” Qin Zheng said, grinning. “I’ve been a seasoned player since I was sixteen. I’ve seen it all. You think you can hide this from me?”

“Keep talking and I’ll have Dong Dong see you out,” Li Zhan said coldly.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. Happy now?” Qin Zheng quickly yielded.

Qin Zheng had known Li Zhan since they were young and understood him well. Among the noble sons of the capital, most were already married before reaching adulthood, and even those unmarried usually had someone attending to their personal needs. Qin Zheng, being somewhat of a libertine, was a veteran when it came to chasing women. But Li Zhan—already twenty-two—had never been involved with anyone.

Now that Li Zhan finally showed a hint of interest in someone, Qin Zheng was more invested than if it were his own affair.

“Aren’t eunuchs all made to take medicine? Would they still have desires like that?” Qin Zheng asked.

Li Zhan stopped walking and glanced at him. Qin Zheng quickly added, “Hey, I’m not talking about you two. I’m just curious about Young Master Ji.”

“If you’re that curious, you can try a bowl of it yourself,” Li Zhan said coldly.

“That stuff works for months after just one dose. I’m not looking to become a monk for that long,” Qin Zheng replied. “But haven’t there been all kinds of rumors flying around the palace lately? Makes you wonder if the medicine really works.”

Li Zhan’s brows twitched slightly at the mention of those rumors.

“Oh—I get it now,” Qin Zheng said, suddenly enlightened. He placed one hand over the other, one above and one below, mimicking a position, and said, “So the medicine affects the one on top, but not the one on the bottom, right?”

Li Zhan didn’t respond. He merely shot him a look and asked, “Weren’t you just full of complaints about him yesterday? Why are you suddenly so curious today?”

“Well, that’s because…” Qin Zheng hesitated, fearing Li Zhan might actually get angry, and quickly changed his tune. “At first, I was just worried you’d get blinded by sentiment for Grand Tutor Ji and end up taken advantage of. But now that things seem… ahem… I naturally want to support you. I mean, I can’t let you live like a monk forever, can I?”

“So now you’re not afraid I’ll be bewitched by good looks?” Li Zhan asked.

“Being bewitched by beauty is a good thing! Life’s meaningless without a bit of charm and flirtation!” Qin Zheng said with a straight face, talking nonsense with perfect seriousness. “My lifelong dream is to be seduced by all the beauties in the world. I’d gladly be tempted, body and soul!”

Li Zhan: …

Qin Zheng toned down the joking and continued, “The thing about people is, it’s never a bad thing for them to have wants and desires. Once you know what someone wants, you can decide whether or not to give it to them. If Young Master Ji really wants your body, and you give it to him, you’re not really losing anything, right? And if he wants something else on the side, as long as it’s within your power, why not grant it?”

“Enough!” Li Zhan cut him off as he veered further off track.

“Okay, one last question!” Qin Zheng said. “Do you trust him?”

Li Zhan froze at the question, and his thoughts involuntarily went to the young emperor sneaking into Ji Qingzhou’s bed the previous night.

As someone who had trained in martial arts, if Li Zhan had even the slightest bit of wariness, he would never have slept so soundly. Yet somehow, he hadn’t even noticed the young emperor leaving his side.

That morning, when the young emperor woke and didn’t see Li Zhan, he was visibly displeased. He even grumbled a few complaints about Second Young Master Qin. After all, he had finally gotten a chance to visit the estate, but Li Zhan had spent all his time with Qin Zheng and hadn’t even taken him out to play.

After breakfast, Qin Zheng suggested taking the young emperor to the backwoods for a hunting trip. Only then did the boy cheer up, throwing all his earlier dissatisfaction with Second Young Master Qin out the window.

“This season isn’t suitable for hunting,” Li Zhan expressed clear disapproval of the suggestion.

Qin Zheng replied, “We’re just taking His Majesty for a walk in the woods out back, maybe catch a few rabbits to lift his mood.”

Li Zhan had intended to refuse, but seeing the young emperor’s eyes sparkling with excitement, he could only relent.

The forest behind the estate wasn’t very large. If Li Zhan were to ride through it at a decent pace, he could cover it in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. But since they were bringing the young emperor to enjoy the experience, the group slowed down, treating the outing more like a leisurely horseback stroll.

Ji Qingzhou wasn’t very skilled at horseback riding, but fortunately the horses were moving slowly—otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared mount one at all.

Qin Zheng seemed to notice his unfamiliarity with riding and kept close to him the entire way, making casual conversation as they went.

“Wang Ye excelled in riding and archery from a young age. Whenever he picked up a bow during a hunt, he never missed,” Qin Zheng said to Ji Qingzhou. Just as he finished speaking, they saw Li Zhan draw his bow and shoot at a rabbit darting past. However, the arrow veered far off and didn’t even graze the rabbit’s fur.

Qin Zheng scratched his nose in embarrassment and tried to smooth things over, saying, “He’s probably just out of practice, haha.”

“Second Young Master Qin,” Ji Qingzhou said, “do you have something you want to tell me?”

From the moment they met that day, Ji Qingzhou had sensed that Qin Zheng was acting strangely toward him. The night before, the man had been openly hostile—even speaking rudely—yet today he behaved like a completely different person, like a refined gentleman.

“No, no,” Qin Zheng quickly replied. “Last night, I’d had a few drinks. If I was rude to you, please don’t take it to heart.”

Ji Qingzhou responded blandly, “You’re too polite. I’m just an ordinary eunuch now—the former Young Master Ji no longer exists.”

“Ah…” Qin Zheng exclaimed quickly, “That’s exactly what I admire about you! You’re so free and unrestrained—able to let go. No wonder Wang Ye took a liking to… ahem…”

Ji Qingzhou looked at him in confusion, beginning to suspect that perhaps Qin Zheng had taken the wrong medicine that morning.

“Wow, Imperial Uncle is amazing!” the young emperor shouted excitedly from atop his horse.

Ji Qingzhou turned to look and saw that Li Zhan had shot a gray rabbit. The arrow hadn’t struck a vital point, though—the rabbit was dragging itself across the ground, still alive and struggling, with the arrow lodged in it.

The young emperor couldn’t sit still and immediately wanted to get off his horse to grab the rabbit.

Li Zhan helped him down and gestured for the guards to stay back, letting the boy retrieve it himself.

“Oh no… it looks so pitiful.” Once he got closer and saw the blood seeping from the arrow wound, the boy’s excitement waned. He squatted down and murmured, “It looks like it’s in so much pain…”

Ji Qingzhou came over and took a quick look at the rabbit’s injuries before saying, “If we treat its wound, it should survive.”

“Really?” The young emperor looked up at Ji Qingzhou with wide eyes. “Then let’s bring it back with us!”

Li Zhan and Qin Zheng watched this scene unfold with expressions of mild helplessness.

So much for a hunting trip—it turned out they were just there to catch a rabbit and bring it back to raise.

“Wow, look at that giant earthworm!” the young emperor suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the bushes nearby.

Ji Qingzhou was just wrapping the injured rabbit in a cloth and, upon hearing this, followed the young emperor’s gaze—only to jump in shock. A snake, about as thick as a finger and covered in spots, was slithering right past their feet. The snake noticed the boy’s movement and turned its head to look at him.

The young emperor had never seen a snake before and didn’t know it was dangerous. Coupled with his natural curiosity and courage, he instinctively reached out to touch it. The snake, startled by the movement, raised its head and coiled up, ready to strike. Ji Qingzhou couldn’t tell if the snake was venomous, but seeing it about to attack the young emperor, he immediately grabbed it by the neck with all his strength and flung it away.

The snake flew through the air and hit a nearby tree, then fell to the ground—nearly landing on Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng let out a loud scream, and with a swing of his arm, smacked the snake directly onto Li Zhan.

Having been tossed around several times already, the snake was completely enraged. The moment it landed on Li Zhan, it instinctively lashed out in attack.

And so, within seconds, two small puncture wounds appeared on Li Zhan’s neck.

On any other day, Li Zhan could have easily dodged such an attack. But right now, all his attention was on Ji Qingzhou and the young emperor. He didn’t realize what had happened until he felt the bite.

The incident unfolded too quickly for anyone to react in time.

Ji Qingzhou’s face turned pale instantly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He had no idea how the snake ended up on Li Zhan—he assumed it must’ve been because he threw it. If the snake was venomous, he feared he might have just harmed the Prince Regent…

“This snake isn’t venomous… right?” Qin Zheng pinned the snake to the ground with his dagger and rushed to check the wounds on Li Zhan’s neck. The guards were also shocked and hurried over to assess Li Zhan’s injuries.

“It doesn’t look venomous…”


“But better safe than sorry!”

“If it is venomous, the poison would spread quickly. We need to suck the venom out right away,” Qin Zheng said.

“If it’s poisonous, you’d just get poisoned too,” Li Zhan said, pushing Qin Zheng aside. “Let’s head back first.”

“I’ll do it!” Ji Qingzhou stepped forward, pushing aside the guards surrounding Li Zhan. He said firmly, “If you’re poisoned, I probably won’t survive either.”

Li Zhan froze, not quite comprehending his words, when the youth grasped his shoulder—and then lowered his head to cover the wound on Li Zhan’s neck with his mouth.

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