After Being Reborn as the Chief Eunuch Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The two of them sat at the table, not too far apart. Ji Qingzhou could almost feel the warm breath coming off Li Zhan.

Ji Qingzhou thought quickly for a moment but still didn’t know what to do.

Logic told him that he should get up and wait outside—after all, they weren’t in any rush now. Li Zhan could take his time handling things on his own. But emotionally, Ji Qingzhou felt uneasy. After all, he had just spent forty-seven thousand six hundred taels of the man’s money. And he knew full well that when a man was under the effects of such a drug, it must feel unbearable. To just leave Li Zhan here to suffer alone—it pricked at his conscience.

Maybe… he could help him again? Ji Qingzhou thought to himself.

He still found it awkward, of course, but having done it once already made it a little easier the second time. Besides, he could treat it as repaying a favor to the Regent.

A true man could bend or stretch when needed. It was just a simple matter—just lending a hand!

With that in mind, Ji Qingzhou stood and walked over to Li Zhan. He knelt down on one knee beside him and calmly rolled up his sleeve. Li Zhan’s eyes froze, and he grabbed Ji Qingzhou’s wrist just as his hand reached toward his waist.

“What are you doing?” Li Zhan asked.

“Helping… helping you, of course. We can’t just stay stuck here forever, right?” Ji Qingzhou said.

He sounded completely matter-of-fact, without the slightest hint of disgust or reluctance on his face, which caught Li Zhan off guard.

“You…”

Li Zhan had just begun to speak when suddenly, the sound of cups crashing to the ground came from the next private room, followed by a surprised gasp from a woman. But though her voice sounded startled, there was a definite undertone of suggestiveness…

Li Zhan frowned and said to Ji Qingzhou, “You don’t have to do this.”

Ji Qingzhou quickly replied, “Wang Ye, you’ve gone through all this trouble today because of me. Besides…”

Before he could finish, voices came from the other room.

“Young Master… again? Already?” the woman’s voice drifted over, muffled but still audible.

The man replied gruffly, “I spent so much silver on you—what’s wrong with going another round? You don’t like it?”

Li Zhan said, “You don’t have to do this. I’m not the kind to demand payback in matters like this.”

Before Ji Qingzhou could respond, the voices next door continued.

“How could I not like it… Young Master can do whatever he wants to me…” the woman cooed.

“You’re a smart one,” the man said again.

Her voice was becoming a bit unsteady now. “I just worry Young Master might tire himself out…”

“If you care about me, then serve me well. Save me some effort,” the man replied.

After that, their voices became jumbled and hard to make out—only the sound of creaking furniture carried on intermittently.

Ji Qingzhou: …

Li Zhan: …

The atmosphere grew extremely awkward. Ji Qingzhou was half-kneeling on the ground, unsure whether to proceed or back away. He simply stared at Li Zhan in confusion. Li Zhan’s expression was even more colorful—equal parts embarrassment and frustration. That conversation from next door was just too timely. Ji Qingzhou even began to suspect those two were deliberately mocking them.

But then again, this kind of place was exactly like that—people paid to have fun.

Still, with all that commotion next door, Li Zhan seemed to cool down quite a bit.

As the noises grew more outrageous, the two of them had no desire to stay any longer. They got up and quickly left.

Fortunately, once Li Zhan had calmed down, his physical condition didn’t seem too out of control. And now that most of the patrons were seated, not many people noticed them on their way out.

“This Jiao Fang Department really has terrible soundproofing,” Ji Qingzhou commented intentionally once they were outside, trying to break the tension between them. “They make so much silver every day—why haven’t they thought to fix that? If you run into someone easygoing, it’s whatever. But if it were some shy young master, they wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Just hearing that racket would be enough to kill the mood…”

When Li Zhan stepped outside, the cool breeze helped clear his complexion a bit. Hearing Ji Qingzhou’s words, he turned to glance at him but said nothing.

“You seem very familiar with this place, Wang Ye. Did you used to come here often?” Ji Qingzhou asked, trying to make conversation.

“No,” Li Zhan replied flatly.

“Oh… I just thought…” Ji Qingzhou let out an awkward chuckle, realizing the topic was probably inappropriate.

Just as he was racking his brain for a way to break the awkward silence, Li Zhan suddenly spoke. “About what happened tonight…”

“Thank you, Wang Ye, for everything tonight,” Ji Qingzhou said earnestly. “As for that forty-seven thousand six hundred taels of silver—”

“I’m not talking about that,” Li Zhan cut him off. “Why did you do it?”

Only then did Ji Qingzhou realize what he was referring to. He quickly replied, “There was no other way at the time. Wang Ye is a man of integrity and wouldn’t allow someone else to assist… I figured it was just a small effort…”

“A small effort?” Li Zhan stared at him. “You call something like that a small effort?”

“Uh… we’re both men… it was a critical moment, just lending a hand…” Ji Qingzhou’s voice grew smaller and smaller. Seeing Li Zhan’s expression darken, he realized he must have said something wrong—but didn’t know exactly what—so he nervously asked, “Did I… cross a line?”

Li Zhan fixed his gaze on the youth for a long moment, his expression shifting multiple times before he finally said in a low voice, “Don’t ever casually offer that kind of ‘help’ to anyone again. You may have a clear conscience, but others might not be so pure-minded.”

“I…” Ji Qingzhou gave an awkward smile and explained, “In the palace… everyone around me is an inner attendant, so nothing like that would happen. The only people I really see regularly are Wang Ye and Young Master Qin.”

At the mention of Qin Zhen, Li Zhan’s brows knit slightly. Then he said coldly, “Stay away from Qin Zhen from now on.”

“Yes,” Ji Qingzhou replied. He could sense that Li Zhan’s mood was strange tonight and didn’t dare press further, so he simply obeyed quietly.

That night was the fourteenth of the sixth lunar month. The moonlight was beautiful.

There was no curfew in the capital, and the shops along the streets still had lanterns hanging outside. Occasionally, the calls of vendors could be heard. The whole scene radiated a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere.

Li Zhan walked ahead of Ji Qingzhou with long strides, even his back seeming somewhat irritable.

Ji Qingzhou was used to seeing him calm and composed, and rarely saw him like this. He didn’t dare speak further and simply followed silently.

Eventually, Li Zhan turned a corner and entered a teahouse. Ji Qingzhou followed him up to the second floor and into a private room at the very back. They had only just sat down when someone slipped into the room. Ji Qingzhou looked up and saw that it was Dong Dong.

Dong Dong wore a flamboyant outfit today, making him look quite like a frivolous young master. He appeared completely different from his usual composed demeanor.

“Speak,” Li Zhan said.

“The person who was sitting in Fuliu has been identified,” Dong Dong said as he placed a sheet of paper before Li Zhan. Li Zhan opened it and took a look. His face showed no reaction, as if he wasn’t surprised at all.

Only then did Ji Qingzhou realize that the person in Fuliu was the one who had been bidding against him all night. If the other party hadn’t kept raising the price, he wouldn’t have needed to spend so much silver—maybe just a few thousand taels would have done the trick.

Thinking of this, Ji Qingzhou felt quite curious about who it was. But Dong Dong hadn’t spoken the name aloud and had instead written it on paper, either to avoid Ji Qingzhou or to guard against eavesdroppers. Ji Qingzhou didn’t dare sneak a look and could only suppress his curiosity.

“Have someone investigate the Jiao Fang Department,” Li Zhan said. “Look into how much income they’ve made from things like this in the past year. Then compile a list of all the big spenders. I’m curious to see just how many officials in court have that kind of money to throw around.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingzhou seemed to glimpse a hidden thread. The forty-seven thousand six hundred taels they had spent tonight was no small sum for anyone, no matter how high-ranking. Yet judging by how the others reacted, no one seemed all that surprised—not even those who had tried to cozy up to them. That suggested this sort of extravagance wasn’t unusual at the Jiao Fang Department.

If they really dug into this, there might be a major scandal waiting to erupt!

Dong Dong quickly acknowledged the order and then added, “About Assistant Minister Chi… although going to the Jiao Fang Department isn’t a big deal…”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I know what I’m doing,” Li Zhan interrupted.

Dong Dong fell silent at that. Ji Qingzhou, however, frowned deeply. He had a nagging feeling that something significant was brewing, but couldn’t quite piece it together.

By now it was well past the hour to return to the palace—the gates had long since closed—so Li Zhan brought Ji Qingzhou back to the Prince Residence.

It was Ji Qingzhou’s first time at the manor. He had assumed it would be rather quiet since Li Zhan had moved to Yinghui Pavilion. But surprisingly, it was quite lively inside.

Li Zhan’s residence housed many guests, similar to Qin Zhen. Ji Qingzhou often saw them at Yinghui Pavilion discussing official matters with Li Zhan, but he hadn’t realized they all lived here at the manor.

“Young Master Ji is here!” Two guards greeted him warmly. Ji Qingzhou remembered seeing them before at the estate, though they hadn’t accompanied Li Zhan into the palace.

Ji Qingzhou greeted them, but felt their enthusiasm was a little too much—though he couldn’t quite figure out the reason behind it.

That night, Ji Qingzhou was arranged to stay in a guest room in the Prince Residence. Even though dinner time had long passed, someone still brought him a generous spread of food. Everyone in the manor treated him with such meticulous care that Ji Qingzhou felt overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness.

After spending the day at the Jiao Fang Department and reuniting with his sister, Ji Qingzhou had been through a rollercoaster of emotions. After taking a bath, he lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Li Zhan, on the other hand, tossed and turned all night, got up twice to wash with cold water, and only managed to doze off shortly before dawn.

The next morning, Ji Qingzhou was still preoccupied with the matter of seeing the physician. He had missed the chance yesterday, and if he delayed again today, he’d have to wait until the fifteenth of next month.

Although he didn’t know much about these matters, he understood one thing clearly—if something had gone wrong, the longer it dragged on, the worse it would get. So today, no matter what, he had to find an opportunity to take care of it, or else he wouldn’t be able to sleep or eat in peace once he returned to the palace.

Fortunately, after breakfast, Li Zhan wasn’t in a rush to return to the palace. Instead, he brought Ji Qingzhou to the same teahouse they’d visited the day before.

The two had barely sat down when someone knocked and entered. Ji Qingzhou looked up and saw it was Chi Zhou.

Chi Zhou looked unwell, with dark circles under his eyes—it was obvious he hadn’t slept all night.

Ji Qingzhou glanced at the two of them. Seeing that Li Zhan also had dark circles under his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He could understand Chi Zhou not sleeping well because someone had suddenly been dropped off at his residence—but why hadn’t Li Zhan slept well either?

“The situation came up so suddenly—it must’ve caused you some inconvenience,” Li Zhan said to Chi Zhou.

“Not at all, Wang Ye,” Chi Zhou replied. “The late Grand Tutor Ji once showed me great kindness… When the Ji family fell from grace, I’ve always felt guilty for not speaking out in his defense. Now that this opportunity has come, even if it’s only temporary, I’m more than willing to look after Young Lady Ji.”

Li Zhan sighed and said, “When the Ji family fell, I spoke out too much and ended up exiled from the capital for several months. At the time, I told you all not to get involved because I didn’t want you dragged down. Grand Tutor Ji valued talented people. He would never want you to risk your future or your lives for an irreversible situation.”

Ji Qingzhou was stunned to hear this. He hadn’t realized there was so much going on behind the scenes when his family fell….

All he’d ever heard was that, when the Ji family was in trouble, not a single official dared to speak up. Now it seemed there might’ve been many untold stories behind it.

“Young Master Ji, you can rest assured about your sister while she’s at my residence,” Chi Zhou said. “I’ll do my utmost to look after her. If you miss her, you’re welcome to visit anytime.”

Ji Qingzhou was just about to thank him when Li Zhan interrupted, “This is a sensitive time. Until things settle down, it’s better if you two don’t get too close.”

Chi Zhou froze for a second, then quickly replied, “My apologies, Wang Ye. Thank you for the reminder.”

From Chi Zhou’s expression, Ji Qingzhou could tell that the two of them probably had something they wanted to discuss in private, but were too polite to ask him to step out.

Coincidentally, Ji Qingzhou had been looking for an excuse to slip away. Seeing the chance, he volunteered, “Wang Ye, I’m not feeling very well. I’d like to use the restroom.”

Li Zhan looked at him, as if checking whether he truly felt unwell or was just making an excuse. Seeing Ji Qingzhou’s normal expression, he simply nodded.

Ji Qingzhou gave them a polite bow and quickly left the teahouse, then dashed off toward the direction of the clinic he remembered.

Luckily, the streets of the capital were easy to navigate, and he soon found the modest little clinic.

Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, Ji Qingzhou slipped into a narrow alley. Sure enough, he spotted an unremarkable little storefront with the faded word “clinic” barely visible on the signboard above the door.

“Come in. There’s no dog, it won’t bite,” a voice called from inside.

Ji Qingzhou paused, then stepped into the clinic.

Inside, it was dim, cramped, and rundown. There was only one seated physician and not even an assistant in sight.

“You’re clearly in a hurry, young master, so why don’t we skip the pleasantries and get to the point?” the doctor said.

Ji Qingzhou looked toward the man and saw that he was a young physician, probably in his thirties. He had decent features, but looked rather disheveled. His eyes were heavy-lidded and glassy, like someone who hadn’t properly slept in two weeks, and looked ready to nod off at any second.

“You’re from the palace, aren’t you?” the man said, gesturing for Ji Qingzhou’s hand. Ji Qingzhou quickly offered it for a pulse reading.

The man half-closed his eyes and gave a light chuckle. “Two and a half months…”

Ji Qingzhou’s breath caught. He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.

He had mentally prepared himself, but hadn’t expected the man to speak so directly, without any buildup.

“Are you sure, doctor?” Ji Qingzhou asked.

“If you don’t trust my skills, why did you even come in here?” the man sneered. “Not only am I sure, I also know you don’t intend to keep it.”

Ji Qingzhou’s heart gave a violent jolt. Cold sweat broke out all over him. In a low voice, he asked, “Sir…”

“No need to explain. Anyone from the palace in this situation would make the same choice,” the doctor said. He let go of Ji Qingzhou’s wrist, reached into his robe and rummaged around, then opened a drawer and searched some more, finally producing a small porcelain vial.

“There’s only one pill. Take it after nightfall. Give it one night, and it should be done. The next day, just call in sick and rest. As long as someone covers for you, it should be easy to get through it without anyone noticing,” the man explained.

Ji Qingzhou took the small porcelain vial and nervously swallowed, feeling a bit more at ease.

But this doctor seemed really strange—he gave off an unreliable air…

If Tu Dayou hadn’t recommended him, Ji Qingzhou might have suspected he was just a shady trickster pretending to be a miracle doctor.

Then again… Ji Qingzhou thought it over. Weren’t those reclusive masters always like this? The more unreliable they seemed, the more trustworthy they actually were. In any case, he didn’t have any other options right now—might as well take a shot in the dark.

“How much silver?” Ji Qingzhou asked.

“For a sin against Heaven like this, I don’t take money. Just go,” the man replied.

Ji Qingzhou: …

Not taking money? That only made him feel even more uneasy.

“But… the child is still so small… it doesn’t really count as a life yet, right? So it’s not exactly a sin…” Ji Qingzhou mumbled, a little guilty.

Truthfully, while he was very much opposed to having a child and didn’t dare entertain the idea for the sake of survival, it was still a life—his own flesh and blood. The more he thought about it, the more guilt crept into his heart.

“This child is fated to be with you… perhaps they’re not meant to die,” the man said again.

Ji Qingzhou’s heart leapt again. He thought to himself, Are you a doctor or a fortune-teller?

“How about this—let’s make a bet,” the man continued. “If this child truly isn’t fated to die and ends up surviving, once they turn five, why don’t you send them to me as an apprentice?”

Ji Qingzhou gave a bitter smile. “If the child survives, I’m afraid I won’t be around anymore.”

“No need to be so pessimistic, young master… Fate is up to the heavens, not you or me. Just go and do what you must,” the man said.

Ji Qingzhou felt that if he stayed any longer, this person might say something even more outrageous. Not daring to linger, he thanked him and quickly left.

Clutching the little porcelain bottle in his hand, Ji Qingzhou’s thoughts surged like crashing waves. Although he had slowly come to terms with the idea that men could become pregnant after Xiao Shan’s case, it still felt absurd now that he had confirmed it was happening to himself.

He and the Regent had only spent a single night together… how could it be this accurate?

But everything—his increased appetite, the frequent vomiting—all pointed to the truth. That doctor, even if he looked unreliable, had no reason to joke about something like this. And Tu Dayou was someone dependable. Knowing how critical this was to Ji Qingzhou’s life, he wouldn’t have been careless…

Ji Qingzhou thought it over again and again and finally had to accept the truth.

Even though it shattered his understanding of the world, he had no choice but to believe it.

Thankfully… there was still a way out.

But the last thing the doctor had said left Ji Qingzhou with an ominous feeling.

He had said the child wasn’t meant to die…

Fortunately, he was just a doctor—not a fortune-teller.

That was the only way Ji Qingzhou could comfort himself.

He stepped out from the alley and onto the street, his head full of racing thoughts, when he suddenly heard the sound of hooves behind him. Turning around, he saw a richly dressed young nobleman with two servants riding horses, galloping through the busy market street. People scrambled out of the way in panic.

Ji Qingzhou instantly thought of those rich second-generation brats in modern society who liked to race cars on public roads. He hadn’t expected that the dramatics in television shows were true—there really were idiots who did such juvenile things.

The three horses galloped straight toward him. In no time, they’d be right in front of him.

Just then, a child’s embroidered ball rolled into the street. The little child, clueless, ran after it. If nothing stopped him, he’d be trampled by the horses in the next second.

Ji Qingzhou: …

According to TV drama logic, the protagonist should now rush in heroically to save the child and then teach the nobleman a lesson. Or perhaps, the female lead would dash in to save the child, and the male lead would swoop in to rescue them both and then scold the nobleman…

But Ji Qingzhou had a very clear sense of self-awareness. He knew he didn’t have the skills to grab the kid in time. More likely, he’d end up trampled alongside him. Still, he couldn’t bear to watch the child get hurt right in front of his eyes.

With barely a moment to think, Ji Qingzhou spotted a nearby street stall stacked with bamboo baskets filled with all kinds of beans.

Without hesitation, he picked one up—basket and all—and flung it toward the oncoming horses.

The rider was startled. Yanking hard on the reins, the horse reared up and stopped abruptly. The rider wasn’t prepared and was thrown off the saddle. At the same time, Ji Qingzhou heard a crisp cracking sound and realized, with a jolt, that he had accidentally thrown the porcelain bottle along with the beans.

It shattered on the ground, and the lone pill inside rolled right to the nobleman’s feet.

The nobleman, furious, got up and charged at Ji Qingzhou to strike him. Ji Qingzhou’s eyes locked on the pill, and he shouted, “Watch out!” But before he could finish, the nobleman stepped directly on the pill, slipped on the beans, and fell again in a heap.

The pill was crushed into powder under his foot.

Ji Qingzhou: …

What the %#￥…&!

He was so angry he wanted to grind that nobleman into powder and swallow him like the pill.

The nobleman had been burning with rage, but when he looked up and saw Ji Qingzhou glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes, he froze. He stood there, stunned, for a long while without reacting.

“Y-you… What do you want?!” the nobleman stammered. His servant helped him up as he pointed a whip at Ji Qingzhou, but his posture was clearly inferior.

It wasn’t that Ji Qingzhou was especially intimidating, but that the nobleman had never in his life seen such a beautiful youth. For a moment, his head was filled with messy thoughts, and even the anger from being thrown off the horse faded.

“Young Master, should I teach him a lesson for you?” the servant asked.

“Bullshit!” the nobleman snapped, raising his whip and lashing the servant. “You think I can’t teach someone a lesson myself?”

He shook the servant off and strode toward Ji Qingzhou with a grin—only to forget about the beans beneath his feet. He slipped again and flew forward. Just as he was about to crash into Ji Qingzhou, Ji Qingzhou felt an arm wrap tightly around his waist, pulling him out of harm’s way. The nobleman landed flat on his face again.

“I thought you said you were just stepping out to relieve yourself?” Li Zhan’s voice came unhurriedly by Ji Qingzhou’s ear.

Ji Qingzhou turned his head and saw Li Zhan standing beside him, one arm still resting on his waist.

“Or do you prefer relieving yourself in crowded public streets?” Li Zhan raised an eyebrow at him.

Ji Qingzhou: …

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