After Being Reborn as the Chief Eunuch Chapter 31

Chapter 31

On the way back, Ji Qingzhou looked completely lost and dazed.

His mind kept flipping between the gruesome sight of that man being beaten to death, the reactions of the ministers, and Qin Zheng’s words. His emotions hovered on the verge of collapse.

He had lived two lifetimes, but this was the first time he had ever witnessed someone being beaten to death right before his eyes. That scene had left a deep shock. A living, breathing person had lost all signs of life in less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense. If not for the blood-soaked clothes, Ji Qingzhou would’ve believed that man’s flesh had been beaten into pulp.

The overwhelming visual shock struck him hard, while those blood-curdling screams brought a suffocating fear that clung to his chest. The impact was so great that Ji Qingzhou slipped into a surreal state, as if he were trapped in a dream. For a while, he couldn’t even tell whether he was awake.

“Qingzhou?” Tu Dayou was startled when he spotted Ji Qingzhou in the alley outside their small courtyard.

The youth’s face was deathly pale, and he looked as if he had just seen a ghost—completely out of his wits.

Tu Dayou reached out and grabbed Ji Qingzhou’s arm. He found that the youth’s cold sweat had soaked through his clothes, and couldn’t help but ask with concern, “What happened? Why do you look so terrible?”

The incident had just happened, and word clearly hadn’t reached Tu Dayou yet.

Tu Dayou helped Ji Qingzhou into the room. The youth still looked extremely unsettled and murmured, “I saw… someone being beaten to death… It went on for a whole stick of incense… Blood splattered everywhere. Even the floor tiles were stained red…”

“Who died?” Tu Dayou was stunned. “Was it… Xiao Shan?”

“Xiao Shan?” Ji Qingzhou turned to look at him and shook his head. “It wasn’t Xiao Shan. It was Tang Yi.”

Tu Dayou was bewildered. “Tang Yi? How did he end up beaten to death? Who gave the order?”

“The Office of Judicial Review?” Ji Qingzhou replied. “Maybe… the Regent? I don’t know…”

After sitting for a while, Ji Qingzhou drank the hot tea Tu Dayou poured him. He gulped it down so fast it burned his throat, finally forcing some clarity back into his head. After some time, when Tu Dayou saw a bit of color return to his face, he gently patted the back of his hand as a form of comfort.

Ji Qingzhou took a deep breath. His rationality finally started returning, and that surreal dreamlike sensation slowly faded. As that subsided, the senses he had shut off came rushing back all at once. He belatedly recalled the nauseating stench of blood. His stomach churned, and he rushed out of the room to vomit by the porch.

When the ministers had vomited from fright earlier, Ji Qingzhou hadn’t reacted.

But now that he was finally reacting, he emptied his stomach completely. When there was nothing left to throw up, he dry-heaved over and over, nearly retching up bile.

When Qin Zheng arrived at the small courtyard to deliver the Regent’s verbal order, he saw this exact scene: a pale-faced youth crouched by the porch post, retching violently while Tu Dayou anxiously patted his back.

“Young Master Qin…” Ji Qingzhou weakly raised his hand to greet him.

Qin Zheng furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue in wonder. “You’re throwing up this late? At least you saved the palace servants at the Golden Pavilion the trouble of cleaning up.”

Ji Qingzhou gagged a few more times. When he was finally done, he rinsed his mouth.

Qin Zheng helped him back into the room to sit and casually glanced around.

“Were you close with Tang Yi?” Qin Zheng asked.

“Not really,” Ji Qingzhou replied hoarsely. “We just happened to be on duty together.”

Qin Zheng nodded. “Smart kid. Too bad he used his wits on the wrong things.”

“Did something happen…?” Ji Qingzhou asked.

“Remember the rabbit His Majesty lost?” Qin Zheng began. “They found its body where Tang Yi lived. Its skull had been smashed in. The body was sprinkled with lime and buried under the tiles.”

Ji Qingzhou was stunned. He recalled the day Tang Yi had taken the young emperor to look for the rabbit. He had already suspected Tang Yi of being shady back then, and now it was confirmed.

“This wasn’t a huge crime, but it wasn’t small either—it was deception against the emperor,” Qin Zheng said.

Among all the crimes the Office of Judicial Review handled, betrayal ranked at the very top. Tang Yi had clearly violated a major taboo.

“But… who found the rabbit?” Ji Qingzhou asked.

“The Regent gave the order,” Qin Zheng said. “I told him what happened that day with Tang Yi. After thinking about it for a moment, the Regent sent Dong Dong and his men to search Tang Yi’s place.”

Ji Qingzhou was taken aback. “How did the Regent know?”

Qin Zheng shook his head, indicating he didn’t know either.

A fleeting thought passed through Ji Qingzhou’s mind, making his back go cold.

But he quickly pushed it away, telling himself it had to be a coincidence.

“So… the Office of Judicial Review has always been loyal to the Regent…” Ji Qingzhou murmured.

He had originally wanted to ask about Xiao Shan, but held back. Based on Qin Zheng’s character, if he knew, he would have said something already. Since he hadn’t, it either meant he didn’t know or was intentionally hiding it.

Still, Ji Qingzhou remembered Qin Zheng had told him not to worry, so he forced himself to bury his anxiety for now.

“I’ll explain more about the Office of Judicial Review later…” Qin Zheng’s expression looked a little unnatural. After a pause, he said, “Today, the Regent sent me with a message. You’re to move into Yinghui Pavilion starting today.”

Ji Qingzhou was stunned. “Why?”

“It’s closer. More convenient,” Qin Zheng said.

Ji Qingzhou: …

He had already anticipated this move to Yinghui Pavilion — Tu Dayou had warned him about it — so he wasn’t too surprised.

Now that the front court had erupted in chaos, everyone knew about Yinghui Pavilion and that the people inside were handpicked by the Regent. Yinghui Pavilion was about to become the most watched place in the entire palace. As the Chief Eunuch of Yinghui Pavilion, Ji Qingzhou would have to stand at the forefront with Li Zhan.

That day, Ji Qingzhou visited Yao Chang’an to formally thank him with a kowtow for his promotion.

Yao Chang’an had always been critical of Ji Qingzhou. Upon seeing him leave, he didn’t show any reluctance—in fact, he looked relieved.

It was Tu Dayou who wasn’t pleased. He stayed silent all the way until they reached the gates of Yinghui Pavilion before finally stopping.

“You’ve always been cautious in what you do, so I don’t need to tell you anything more,” Tu Dayou said with a hint of melancholy.

“Brother Dayou…” Ji Qingzhou hesitated.

Tu Dayou seemed to know what he was worried about. He patted Ji Qingzhou on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. Your Brother Dayou values his life. You won’t need to worry about me.”

Ji Qingzhou nodded slightly, surprisingly reluctant to part.

Tu Dayou had been the first friend Ji Qingzhou made after coming to this world, and he was also the one he trusted the most.

“Come on, don’t be like this. We’ll still see each other every day, why act so distant?” Tu Dayou laughed as he gave Ji Qingzhou a light punch on the shoulder, then turned and waved without looking back as he walked away.

Ji Qingzhou watched him leave before finally stepping into Yinghui Pavilion.

A blue-robed inner attendant named Wei Yuanfeng led Ji Qingzhou to a side chamber. Upon entering, Ji Qingzhou saw that the room was even more spacious than the one he had lived in back at the small courtyard, and the furnishings were also more refined.

“This side chamber is the closest to Wang Ye’s sleeping quarters. It’ll be more convenient for Ji Gonggong to attend to him in the future,” Wei Yuanfeng said.

Ji Qingzhou frowned at those words, feeling that the phrasing sounded off—it was too easy to be misunderstood.

“The room across the hall is where Young Master Qin lives. He doesn’t hold an official position at the moment, but he is still Wang Ye’s trusted retainer,” Wei Yuanfeng continued. “The bathhouse and kitchen are in the back. You can rest for now—Wang Ye said you don’t need to attend him today. If you need anything, just call on me anytime.”

Ji Qingzhou nodded and glanced toward Qin Zheng’s room. He thought to himself, the ministers of the previous court were still scheming to get Li Zhan to move out of the palace, yet Li Zhan had even brought his personal retainers into the palace to live—clearly, he had no intention of making peace with those ministers.

But after the display Li Zhan put on yesterday outside the Golden Pavilion, it likely wouldn’t be without effect.

Ji Qingzhou was curious to see if anyone would still dare risk their life at the morning court tomorrow to demand the Regent leave the palace.

After the terrifying shock he had endured, followed by that dramatic round of vomiting, Ji Qingzhou slept through the entire afternoon in the side chamber of Yinghui Pavilion. The meals at Yinghui Pavilion were quite decent. Whether by someone’s order or by coincidence, Wei Yuanfeng had prepared a light vegetable porridge for him. Ji Qingzhou ended up eating two full bowls that night and finally felt like his soul had returned to his body.

The next morning at court, Ji Qingzhou immediately noticed a shift in the atmosphere the moment he stepped into the great hall.

He couldn’t quite pinpoint what was different, but there was a vague sense of tension in the air. Even the usual whispering had disappeared.

The young emperor didn’t appear for court today either, yet not a single person brought it up.

Ji Qingzhou observed the officials for a while and finally understood—they were all uneasy today.

The early part of court proceeded as usual, with ministers taking turns to report on their work. That part still felt normal.

But when Li Zhan began asking questions, everyone’s tone grew cautious. As expected, no one dared mention anything about Yinghui Pavilion.

Ji Qingzhou thought to himself, Li Zhan’s performance yesterday had indeed managed to scare them all into silence.

“If you have something to say, just say it. There’s no need to hide it,” Li Zhan said coldly, lifting his gaze toward the crowd.

As soon as he spoke, an older censor stepped forward, cupping his hands and saying, “Wang Ye, this old minister does have something to say.”

Li Zhan looked at him without comment, and the man continued, “Yesterday, Wang Ye ordered the Office of Judicial Review to carry out a public beating in front of the great hall. That scene truly left us all shaken and uneasy. May I ask, what was Wang Ye’s intention in doing so?”

This particular official had always been outspoken. As soon as he said this, many of the other officials secretly broke out in a cold sweat—he had spoken too bluntly, without even trying to soften the blow. But Li Zhan’s expression remained unchanged as he responded, “I’ve heard about that incident. I had the Office of Judicial Review investigate it yesterday. The one executed had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. If anyone has objections, you may submit a memorial and impeach the Office of Judicial Review.”

“But…” the official said, “the crime of deceiving the emperor is indeed punishable by death. However, why choose to carry it out in front of the great hall?”

Li Zhan raised an eyebrow at that and turned his gaze to Ji Qingzhou. “Ji Qingzhou, you were there yesterday and witnessed the punishment. Why don’t you tell everyone why the Office of Judicial Review chose that location for the execution?”

At those words, all eyes in the hall turned to Ji Qingzhou.

He hadn’t expected the Regent to question him in front of the entire court and was startled. He quickly composed himself and replied, “This humble servant does not understand the laws and procedures of punishment, so I do not know why the Office of Judicial Review made that decision. But from what I witnessed yesterday, I dare to guess that perhaps it was intended as a warning to us all? Only if we remain loyal in serving His Majesty will such things not happen again.”

Li Zhan nodded and asked, “And what do the rest of you think?”

No one dared to respond. They all knew better than to keep pushing the issue.

“I heard many people were so frightened yesterday that they nearly fell ill. After thinking it over, I believe the punishment may have been too harsh,” Li Zhan said. “After all, the man did once serve His Majesty. Even if he committed a serious offense, there should have been some leniency…”

Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Li Zhan to take this stance.

They had thought he would use this as an opportunity to issue a stern warning, saying anyone who dared follow in those footsteps would meet the same fate—something to firmly reestablish his authority.

Instead, his remarks caught everyone off guard.

Why didn’t it go the way they expected?

“The Empress Dowager’s birthday has just passed. It is not appropriate to spill blood in the palace,” Li Zhan continued, taking a deep breath. “His Majesty and I should follow the late emperor’s example of benevolence. What do you all think?”

Only then did the officials snap out of it, quickly replying in unison, “Wang Ye is wise.”

Li Zhan nodded calmly. “Then let it be as you say. From now on, unless a palace servant commits an act of treason, any other offense should be dealt with by some scolding and a deduction in salary. Don’t resort to beating and killing so readily—it damages His Majesty’s reputation for compassion.”

Once again, the entire court echoed, “Wang Ye is wise.”

Standing to the side, Ji Qingzhou also looked puzzled. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what Li Zhan’s real motive was.

After court, the officials were abuzz with speculation.

Before the session, many had come filled with indignation, certain that yesterday’s actions were a calculated show of force meant to instill fear. They thought the Regent would completely break ties with the ministers today and use the opportunity to make an example of someone.

But the Regent’s stance turned out to be completely unexpected.

“What exactly is Wang Ye playing at?”

“Slap with one hand, then offer candy with the other?”

“From what he said today, it seems he doesn’t plan to use such harsh punishments again. Maybe we don’t have to be so afraid…”

One after another, the officials murmured among themselves. It was clear that none of them could make sense of the Regent’s intentions.

But there was one thing they all agreed on—this new Regent was no longer the gentle and patient man he had once been. Even though he hadn’t openly broken with the court, everything from taking over Yinghui Pavilion to yesterday’s execution had made one thing very clear: he no longer feared the criticisms of the censors and no longer cared about the ministers’ disapproval.

And that left them all powerless against him.

“These censors are always like this,” Qin Zheng chuckled. “The more you care about their criticisms, the harder they go at you. But if you just throw a ‘I don’t give a damn’ right in their faces, they suddenly don’t know what to do anymore. Sometimes, playing the scoundrel works better than pretending to be a gentleman.”

Li Zhan shot him a cold glance and said nothing.

“Zhouzhou, don’t you think that makes sense?” Qin Zheng turned and slung an arm over Ji Qingzhou’s shoulder as he asked.

Ji Qingzhou looked thoroughly speechless and didn’t even want to respond.

After court ended, Li Zhan didn’t return to Yinghui Pavilion but headed instead to Fu’an Palace.

The young emperor was still lying in bed, refusing to get up. The moment he saw Li Zhan, he stretched out his arms, wanting a hug.

Li Zhan picked him up and weighed him in his arms, saying, “Starting tomorrow, no more staying in bed. You have to attend morning court.”

“Can’t I not go?” the little emperor pouted, clearly upset.

Having skipped morning court the past couple of days, the young emperor had gotten a taste of sleeping in—and it was heavenly. Not having to get up before sunrise every day was simply a dream come true. At his age, he still needed a lot of sleep, and waking up before dawn each day had always been tough on him.

“No,” Li Zhan replied firmly.

The little emperor turned to Ji Qingzhou and stretched out his arms to him.

Ji Qingzhou stepped forward to take him. The child wrapped his arms around his neck and said, “Ji Gonggong, can you please talk to my imperial uncle? He listens to you the most.”

“Um…” Ji Qingzhou looked awkward at that, thinking to himself: Your imperial uncle is all-powerful now—he’s got the whole court under his thumb. I don’t even dare breathe too loudly in front of him, and you want me to talk him into letting you skip court? Are you trying to get me killed?

“Please, say something!” the young emperor pleaded. “I don’t want to get up early…”

Ji Qingzhou gave a bitter smile and reluctantly said to Li Zhan, “Wang Ye, His Majesty is still a child. Not being able to wake up early is quite natural.”

Li Zhan turned to look at Ji Qingzhou, then said calmly, “Let him rest one more day, then.”

Ji Qingzhou: …

“Wow….I love you so much!” The young emperor nuzzled Ji Qingzhou’s face happily, smiling so wide his eyes practically disappeared.

The palace attendants helped the young emperor wash and get dressed, and then Li Zhan stayed to have breakfast with him. After breakfast, the young emperor refused to go to his studies unless Ji Qingzhou went with him. Seeing this, Li Zhan allowed it. The boy immediately lit up with joy, like he’d just gotten the best gift in the world.

“Ji Gonggong, they said you went off to serve imperial uncle. I thought you didn’t want me anymore…” the young emperor said with a pitiful look as Ji Qingzhou carried him.

Hearing that, Ji Qingzhou suddenly felt a pang in his chest. The young emperor was five by lunar age, but in truth, he was just over four years old. In today’s world, that would only be preschool age. Yet he had to rise before dawn every day and sit on a dragon throne, fighting off sleepiness while trying to act grown-up.

In fact, things had already improved a lot since Ji Qingzhou came into his life.

That was precisely why he adored Ji Qingzhou so much and was especially close to him.

The little guy didn’t understand politics or power, but he had an incredible instinct—he knew exactly who treated him kindly and who didn’t.

“How about this… After your lessons, I’ll take Your Majesty to Yinghui Pavilion,” Ji Qingzhou suggested.

“Yes! Yes!” the young emperor was overjoyed. “I never want to go back to the Imperial Study again. Imperial uncle’s not there, and you’re not there either, so there’s no one to eat the candy I hide!”

That day, after class ended, Ji Qingzhou took the liberty of bringing him to Yinghui Pavilion.

Li Zhan didn’t even seem surprised—it was as if he had expected it.

The young emperor was in high spirits. He climbed all over the courtyard and got completely covered in dirt. Then he ran over and plopped himself down on Li Zhan’s lap, getting his robes filthy too.

Only when the boy tired himself out in the afternoon and fell fast asleep on the couch did Li Zhan finally get some peace.

Seeing that Li Zhan’s clothes were now covered in dust, Ji Qingzhou asked if he wanted to bathe and change.

Li Zhan hesitated a moment, then nodded and said, “In a bit, you come help me bathe.”

Ji Qingzhou: …

Qin Zheng, who had been working through some documents, leaned over and whispered into Ji Qingzhou’s ear in an exaggerated imitation of Li Zhan’s voice: “In a bit, you come help me bathe.” Then he couldn’t help but snicker, flashing Ji Qingzhou a shamelessly sleazy grin.

Ji Qingzhou: …

This wasn’t the first time Ji Qingzhou and Li Zhan had been in the bathhouse together. The last time had been at the estate, but Qin Zheng had been there too. This time, it was just the two of them.

“What’s the matter? Never served someone before?” Li Zhan stood in front of him, arms outstretched, clearly expecting Ji Qingzhou to undress him.

Ji Qingzhou really hadn’t—but he didn’t dare refuse. He stepped forward and began undressing Li Zhan piece by piece.

Li Zhan’s skin was slightly tanned. His figure was tall and lean, with firm muscles full of masculine strength. He stood nearly half a head taller than Ji Qingzhou. When the two stood face to face, Ji Qingzhou’s gaze naturally fell just below Li Zhan’s chest.

He noticed a scar on the left side of Li Zhan’s chest—a knife wound. Though it had scabbed over, it looked fairly new, likely not inflicted too long ago. Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help but feel a jolt inside. If that wound had been any deeper, it would’ve pierced the heart… Who did this to him?

“Do you know why I never used to let inner attendants serve me?” Li Zhan suddenly asked.

Ji Qingzhou was caught off guard. “Was it… because you didn’t trust them?”

Li Zhan turned and walked into the bath. Ji Qingzhou’s gaze lingered on his back, and suddenly, the image from that night at Fengxian Pavilion flashed through his mind. That night, he had gone a little crazy and scratched up Li Zhan’s back. When he bathed afterward, he found blood under his nails.

Now, the scratches on Li Zhan’s back had all faded. Ji Qingzhou wondered if he even remembered that night.

“Qin Zheng once said, the dangerous ones aren’t those with desires—it’s the ones with none at all,” Li Zhan said as he sat down in the water with his back to Ji Qingzhou. “I always thought inner attendants had no wants or desires. A man with no ambition has no weaknesses—and therefore, nothing to use against him.”

Ji Qingzhou froze, not understanding why Li Zhan was telling him all this.

“You really haven’t done this before?” Li Zhan turned his head slightly and asked again.

Ji Qingzhou snapped out of it, grabbed a clean cloth, knelt by the pool, and began to wash his back.

Li Zhan let out a deep breath and continued, “You’ve never told me what it is you really want.”

“I…” Ji Qingzhou’s hands stopped moving, and he instantly felt tense.

The bathhouse was full of warm, hazy steam. It was much hotter than outside. Ji Qingzhou, dressed in his inner attendant robes, was already sweating slightly—and he couldn’t even tell if it was from the heat or from nerves.

“Wanting something isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Li Zhan said. “As long as what you want isn’t something you shouldn’t be thinking about, then there won’t be a problem.”

Though Li Zhan didn’t spell it out, Ji Qingzhou immediately understood what he meant. He was referring to Tang Yi… Tang Yi had been executed because he had crossed the line with the young emperor.

Was Li Zhan warning him not to harbor any improper thoughts about the young emperor?

Why would he need to warn him?

He had always been completely loyal to the young emperor—he had never even thought anything inappropriate…

But Ji Qingzhou couldn’t shake the feeling that something was on the verge of surfacing in his mind, yet he just couldn’t grasp it.

After a long pause, Li Zhan said, “Looks like you really haven’t served anyone before. Forget it… I shouldn’t have asked you…”

Suddenly, Li Zhan stood up and turned toward Ji Qingzhou. Ji Qingzhou, still kneeling by the edge, had been lost in thought and hadn’t had time to move back—he almost accidentally collided with…

Ji Qingzhou: !

So big… No wonder it hurt so much that night!

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