After Being Reborn as the Chief Eunuch Chapter 50

Chapter 50

That night, Ji Qingzhou and Xiao Shan stayed in a side wing of the Chi residence’s back courtyard.

The wing was divided into an inner and outer room. Ji Qingzhou had Xiao Shan sleep in the inner chamber, while he took the outer one.

Lying on the bed, Ji Qingzhou couldn’t fall asleep. He would get up now and then to listen for sounds outside, hoping to hear whether Chi Zhou had returned. Rationally, he believed Li Zhan wouldn’t trouble him over this matter—there were, after all, more pressing concerns at hand. But that didn’t stop the unease that gnawed at his heart.

He wanted desperately to know how Li Zhan would respond to what he had revealed.

The more he thought, the more uneasy he became. The fearless resolve he had felt earlier, when he sent off the letter, had now completely vanished.

What if Li Zhan didn’t believe him?

After all, Li Zhan had told him about the incident at Fengxian Pavilion that night. Ji Qingzhou could easily have made up the story about the child. There was no paternity testing in this world. The blood-dripping ritual from legends was famously unreliable. If Li Zhan believed he was faking it to scam him, no explanation could clear his name.

When one is anxious, it’s easy to imagine the worst. For Ji Qingzhou, the worst-case scenario was exactly this…

What if Li Zhan decided not to keep the child?

Well, fine. That was his plan all along anyway.

“Qingzhou, you can’t sleep?” Xiao Shan emerged from the inner room, a robe draped over his shoulders.

He was a year older than Ji Qingzhou. He used to address him by name, but after Ji Qingzhou got promoted, he started calling him Chief Steward Ji in public. Ji Qingzhou disliked the formality, though, and told him to keep using his old way of address in private.

“I’m guessing Assistant Minister Chi should be back soon. I want to ask what reply he brought from Wang Ye,” Ji Qingzhou replied.

Xiao Shan lit a candle in the dark, then poured Ji Qingzhou a cup of warm water and said, “You forgot—Assistant Minister Chi moved into the study to avoid suspicion with your sister. It’s far from here. Even if he’s back, you wouldn’t hear him.”

Ji Qingzhou nodded. In truth, he wasn’t just waiting for Chi Zhou.

He simply couldn’t sleep.

“If you can’t sleep, I’ll sit with you for a while,” Xiao Shan offered.

Ji Qingzhou scooted over a bit, and Xiao Shan sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed.

Xiao Shan still looked the same as always—young and quiet, speaking little, and always greeting Ji Qingzhou with a gentle smile. But Ji Qingzhou knew Xiao Shan carried many burdens. He just never shared them, nor gave anyone the chance to ask.

“Honestly, you don’t need to worry. Wang Ye has always treated you differently from others,” Xiao Shan said.

Ji Qingzhou was startled and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

A flicker of sadness passed through Xiao Shan’s eyes, but he quickly replaced it with his usual soft smile. “Do you remember what happened between me and He Man? If the palace rules had been followed, we both would’ve been executed. Later, He Man said he would take the blame and told me to say I’d been forced, so I might live.”

Ji Qingzhou remembered that. Back then, when he looked for He Man, he had held that exact hope in mind—to save Xiao Shan. But once he found He Man, he couldn’t bring himself to say it, because he knew neither of them could watch the other die just to survive.

“I refused at that time…. He Man held me and cried. I thought if I could see him one last time before death, even dying together would be worth it,” Xiao Shan said, smiling faintly, a blush spreading over his cheeks in embarrassment. Then he continued, “But then, the Office of Judicial Review never questioned us. They just delivered a verdict…”

Ji Qingzhou remembered—the result had been that Xiao Shan walked away unscathed while He Man took all the blame, was caned, and expelled from the palace. But according to Xiao Shan, they were never even interrogated. Which meant… someone had arranged for the case to be closed without testimony.

And that outcome was clearly the best possible one.

Xiao Shan had only just miscarried back then and couldn’t afford even the slightest punishment, or it would have cost him his life.

But He Man was strong. Even after the caning, he would recover with ten or fifteen days of rest.

“You know, He Man and I were the lowest of the low in the palace. If this had been before, the Office of Judicial Review wouldn’t even have bothered investigating. They’d have just beaten us to death on the spot,” Xiao Shan said. “The only reason we lived was because of your efforts—and because Wang Ye stepped in. And he only did so for your sake.”

Ji Qingzhou fell silent, visibly moved.

He had considered this possibility before but had dismissed it as wishful thinking. He never dared assume such a favor had been extended on his behalf.

“Wang Ye cares so much about the matters between me and He Man for your sake—let alone something between you and him,” Xiao Shan said. “So there’s no need for you to feel anxious at all. If Wang Ye finds out about this, he’ll be too happy to be upset.”

Hearing this, Ji Qingzhou felt a bit more at ease. He realized he had been overthinking things due to his anxiety. On the contrary, Xiao Shan, observing from the outside, had seen the situation clearly and quickly grasped the key point.

As for Ji Qingzhou’s worries, they had simply been groundless.

“Sometimes I really can be quite muddleheaded…” Ji Qingzhou said.

“You’re just briefly confused for someone who’s smart most of the time,” Xiao Shan chuckled. “Besides, when a person is pregnant, they tend to get a little scatterbrained.”

After speaking, Xiao Shan’s gaze shifted to Ji Qingzhou’s belly, a faint smile playing on his face.

Seeing his expression, Ji Qingzhou felt somewhat uncomfortable inside…

He had considered asking Li Zhan about where He Man ended up after being expelled from the palace, thinking that if there were an appropriate moment, he could bring it up. But then it occurred to him—if he couldn’t help Xiao Shan leave the palace, knowing He Man’s whereabouts would be pointless. They still wouldn’t be able to be together.

Still… Ji Qingzhou could sense that Xiao Shan missed He Man very much.

“Can I touch it?” Xiao Shan asked cautiously.

Ji Qingzhou hadn’t expected him to ask that and was immediately embarrassed. His first instinct was to refuse.

But then he realized that Xiao Shan must have been thinking about his own lost child. That thought made Ji Qingzhou feel a twinge of sorrow. He couldn’t bring himself to reject him, so with a rather awkward expression, he said, “Uh… sure, go ahead.”

With the air of someone being marched to the gallows, Ji Qingzhou stuck his belly out unwillingly.

Xiao Shan reached out carefully and lightly placed his hand on Ji Qingzhou’s belly, as gently as if afraid even the slightest pressure might hurt him.

“It’s still so small—nothing’s showing yet,” Xiao Shan commented, looking at him. “How many months?”

Ji Qingzhou thought for a moment. “Almost four months, I think…”

Xiao Shan nodded and withdrew his hand. “Then in less than a month, it’ll start to show. After that, it’ll grow fast.”

“Mm.” Ji Qingzhou only felt intensely awkward. He still hadn’t fully come to terms with the fact that there was a child inside him, and discussing when his belly would start to show with others made him even more uncomfortable.

Seeing the flushed embarrassment on his face, Xiao Shan, being tactful, just smiled and didn’t push the topic further.

Thanks to Xiao Shan’s teasing, most of Ji Qingzhou’s anxiety had been soothed. Not long after, he started dozing off. Seeing he was getting sleepy, Xiao Shan went and extinguished the candle. A short while later, the two of them lay down to sleep.

At the same time, at Yinghui Pavilion—

Li Zhan rubbed his temples, a cold aura radiating from his entire body.

“Is everyone here?” he asked.

“Yes, Wang Ye. They’re all present,” Dong Dong replied. “All the secret guards and the residence’s soldiers—except for those assigned to protect the Chi residence—are standing by, awaiting your orders.”

Next to Dong Dong stood three men dressed in night gear, all of them commanders of the secret guards and palace soldiers trained by Li Zhan.

“First, clear out all the spies around the Chi residence. Make it clean—don’t alert anyone. Then leave a few of your most capable men stationed nearby. There must be no mistakes,” Li Zhan instructed.

One of the three immediately took the order and left.

Li Zhan turned to another and said, “Plant your men in Prince An Residence. From today onward, I want to know everyone he sees and everything he says. And once anyone he meets leaves Prince An Residence, seize them at once. After Prince An is buried, use the pretext of Prince Heng assisting in the funeral to send him directly to the estate Prince An used to live in.”

When Li Zhan said “send,” he placed particular emphasis on the word—its meaning was crystal clear.

Once Prince An was buried, Prince Heng would be forcibly taken by Li Zhan’s people and placed under house arrest. That estate had already been seized and controlled by Li Zhan’s forces. Being detained there would be no different from total isolation.

Originally, Li Zhan hadn’t planned to go this far. But Prince Heng’s recent actions had clearly crossed a line—he had touched Li Zhan’s reverse scale.

“Yes,” the man replied quickly and left to carry out the order.

Li Zhan finally turned his gaze to the third man and said, “What you’re about to do is the most critical task of all—there can’t be even the slightest mistake.” As he spoke, he picked up a slip of paper from the desk that had a string of addresses written on it, and added, “Old Fourth has hidden someone. This person is extremely important and is likely stashed away somewhere he considers the safest.”

The man took the paper, glanced at it, and said, “Rest assured, Wang Ye. Even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I will find this person.”

“Once you find him, bring him directly to the palace. I want to interrogate him myself,” Li Zhan said.

That man also took his leave. Now only Li Zhan and Dong Dong remained in the hall.

Li Zhan thought for a moment, then said, “Go bring Tu Dayou here. Tell him I’m giving him a chance to atone for his crimes.”

Dong Dong immediately agreed and personally went to the Office of Judicial Review.

Tu Dayou had been locked up in the Office of Judicial Review for quite some time and thought Li Zhan had already forgotten him. So when he was suddenly summoned in the middle of the night, he was startled.

“Is Wang Ye going to deal with me now?” Tu Dayou asked Dong Dong.

“Whether you live or die is entirely up to you,” Dong Dong replied. “Wang Ye said he’s giving you a chance to make amends—it’s up to you whether you can grasp it.”

Hearing that, Tu Dayou stiffened with fear. What opportunity could there be for him to make amends?

Could it be that the Regent was finally taking action against Prince Heng?

But he had already confessed everything he could. If they asked him to say more now, he truly had nothing else to add! Besides, even though he was one of Prince Heng’s men, at best he was just a “dog” stationed in the palace. Prince Heng would never entrust important secrets to someone like him!

Tu Dayou was plagued with anxiety the entire way there, convinced that this time he wouldn’t be walking out alive.

When they arrived at Yinghui Pavilion, he saw Li Zhan seated behind the desk, looking worn out as if he hadn’t slept all night.

Tu Dayou knelt and kowtowed before him, then waited for his judgment.

The hall was quiet for a long while. Li Zhan let out a soft sigh and fixed his gaze on Tu Dayou.

“Tell me everything you know about Ji Qingzhou,” Li Zhan said.

Tu Dayou jumped in shock. Instinctively, he looked toward Li Zhan, hoping to read something from his expression. But Li Zhan hid it well—there wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion on his face.

“I already know what happened in Fengxian Pavilion, and about the child. There’s no need for you to cover for him anymore,” Li Zhan said coldly. “What I want are all the details—from the moment he entered the palace to the time you were locked up. Every decision he made, everything you helped him with, and how you hid it all from me… If you lie even half a word, you know what the consequences will be.”

Tu Dayou: …

So this “chance to redeem himself” was to… betray Ji Qingzhou?

But on second thought, Tu Dayou figured—since the truth was already out, there was no point in keeping secrets. Right now, he couldn’t gauge the Regent’s mood, so the only thing he could do for Ji Qingzhou was to embellish the details as much as possible—at the very least, paint things in a way that wouldn’t upset the Regent.

For example:

Ji Qingzhou didn’t keep things from the Regent because he feared being silenced—he just didn’t want to trouble Wang Ye…

Tu Dayou steadied himself, then began recounting everything he could remember, like spilling beans from a bamboo tube—from the spring banquet in April all the way up to when he was imprisoned by the Office of Judicial Review. He told Li Zhan every detail he could think of. Of course, throughout the process, he emphasized Ji Qingzhou’s loyalty to Li Zhan and conveniently left out any parts that might anger him.

Li Zhan’s expression remained unchanged the entire time, only interrupting occasionally to ask for clarification.

In the end, Li Zhan suddenly asked, “Why did you help him?”

Tu Dayou froze. His expression changed immediately.

Only then did he realize that out of all the questions Li Zhan had asked tonight, this one was the most important.

Li Zhan watched him leisurely, a flicker of genuine curiosity finally appearing on his face. He clearly knew he had struck a nerve.

He had suspected all along that something was off about Tu Dayou’s attitude toward Ji Qingzhou. Why would Tu Dayou be so kind to him for no reason?

Unless… there was a reason that could convince him.

By the time the sky was beginning to brighten, Li Zhan finally emerged from the hall.

Dong Dong, who had also stayed up all night, immediately stepped forward to report on the situation outside the palace.

“Things at both the Chi residence and Prince An Residence are just about settled, but the person you’re looking for still hasn’t been found,” Dong Dong reported.

“The one Old Fourth hid is a doctor, about thirty years old, decent-looking, with a casual, unruly demeanor,” Li Zhan said. “Have them search based on that description. If they still can’t find him, then start with the people around Old Fourth. There’s no way we can’t get something out of them.”

Dong Dong quickly nodded and acknowledged the order.

Li Zhan glanced back at Tu Dayou, who was following behind him, and said, “You don’t need to return to the Office of Judicial Review. Stay at Yinghui Pavilion. In two days, take some men and go to the Chi residence—bring Ji Qingzhou back.”

Tu Dayou immediately accepted the order, realizing he had passed this crucial test before Li Zhan.

For two full days, Ji Qingzhou remained at Chi Zhou’s residence.

Chi Zhou hadn’t gone out during that time either. Ji Qingzhou guessed that Li Zhan probably hadn’t assigned him any new tasks.

Although they had both stayed within the residence, Ji Qingzhou could almost feel the tense atmosphere engulfing the capital city from behind those walls. He could easily imagine how, within these two days, the fates of many people had already been drastically altered.

On the first morning, Chi Zhou stepped outside the manor to take a look and noticed that the spies planted by Prince Heng had all vanished. In their place were unfamiliar faces. Though Chi Zhou didn’t recognize them, their lack of concealment made it clear—they were Li Zhan’s men.

On the afternoon of the second day, Qin Zheng brought the Liang Princess to the Chi residence, and the two stayed for about half a day.

That princess should’ve already left the capital, but for some reason—perhaps she had caught wind of the upcoming events—she sensed that something major was about to happen. So, she sent most of her delegation away, keeping only her personal attendants by her side, clearly intending to stay and watch the drama unfold before returning to Liang Kingdom.

As a result, Qin Zheng had no choice but to continue accompanying her.

Ji Qingzhou was anxious and had wanted to ask Qin Zheng about what was going on outside, but Qin Zheng kept dodging the question with vague responses and lighthearted banter. Realizing he wouldn’t get any useful information, Ji Qingzhou had no choice but to give up.

On the day of the court’s reopening, Ji Qingzhou got up early, assuming someone would come to escort him back.

But even after Chi Zhou returned from court, there was still no word.

Chi Zhou, however, looked quite content, leading Ji Qingzhou to assume that everything must have gone smoothly.

After lunch with Ji Qingzhou and Ji Qinglan, Chi Zhou invited Ji Qingzhou to the study.

“The situation outside—”

“Young Master Ji,” Chi Zhou interrupted, “these matters will be explained to you once you return to the palace. What I want to talk to you about today is your sister.”

Ji Qingzhou paused, then asked, “What does Assistant Minister Chi want to say?”

“I took the liberty of going to the Jiao Fang Department…” Chi Zhou gave a slight cough, appearing a bit embarrassed. “As you know, His Highness is trying to overturn the Ji family’s case. If he succeeds, you, Young Lady Ji, and Young Master Ji in the northwest will all regain your freedom. But that won’t happen overnight, and Young Lady Ji’s one-month stay at the Chi residence is almost over…”

Only then did Ji Qingzhou recall that this matter had always been on his mind as well…

“I thought, a respectable young woman like Young Lady Ji shouldn’t end up in a place like that… So I personally went to the Jiao Fang Department and paid some silver. That way, she can stay at the Chi residence for another month.” Chi Zhou continued, “However, I acted impulsively, and I don’t want her to misunderstand, so I hoped to use your name as an excuse.”

Ji Qingzhou now understood—Chi Zhou had spent his own money to help Ji Qinglan gain another month of protection.

“How much did you spend, Assistant Minister Chi? That silver—”

“Young Master Ji, no need to say anything more. We can discuss this later. The palace should be sending someone to fetch you any moment now. Go say your farewells to your sister,” Chi Zhou replied.

Knowing that Chi Zhou was a forthright person, Ji Qingzhou didn’t insist. This kind of favor couldn’t be repaid with a simple thank-you anyway.

That same day, Ji Qingzhou went to bid farewell to Ji Qinglan. Then Tu Dayou arrived with a group of men.

Seeing Tu Dayou safe and sound, Ji Qingzhou felt greatly relieved. It was clear that Li Zhan hadn’t blamed him after all.

On the way back to the palace, Ji Qingzhou felt nervous. He didn’t know how to face Li Zhan.

Everything that had happened—Fengxian Pavilion, the child—was deeply awkward for him. Back when Li Zhan didn’t know, Ji Qingzhou could handle things calmly. But now that Li Zhan knew the truth, Ji Qingzhou felt self-conscious and uneasy.

But when he arrived at Yinghui Pavilion, he found that Li Zhan wasn’t there.

Everyone at the pavilion treated him just as they always had, showing no signs of anything being different.

Ji Qingzhou was confused and waited anxiously all day, but Li Zhan didn’t return that night either.

Finally, he asked one of the attendants at Yinghui Pavilion and found out that Li Zhan had returned to the Prince Residence that day.

“Prince Heng has been sent to the estate Old Wang Ye used to use for summer retreats. He’s being guarded by Wang Ye’s men and can’t do anything now,” Tu Dayou told Ji Qingzhou. “That physician has also been found. He was tortured by Prince Heng and is badly injured. But Wang Ye values his medical skill and has taken him into his own service at the Prince Residence.”

Ji Qingzhou nodded and asked, “Any unusual movement among the officials?”

“None. Wang Ye handled everything very discreetly. Outsiders all think Prince Heng moved to the estate to observe mourning for Old Wang Ye. They don’t know this was v’s doing,” Tu Dayou said. “As for the people around Prince Heng and the court officials connected to him, Wang Ye has already made arrangements. Nothing can go wrong.”

Ji Qingzhou finally breathed a sigh of relief—this matter had concluded without disaster.

But… he glanced down at his own belly. Sooner or later, this matter would need to be resolved.

Previously, Ji Qingzhou had felt awkward just thinking about facing Li Zhan.

Now that Li Zhan was avoiding him entirely, he felt even more anxious!

Whether or not to keep the child, how to handle it—Li Zhan hadn’t given him any answer.

If this dragged on much longer, it would be four months soon, and the pregnancy would start to show!

It was the middle of summer, and their clothes were thin—how long could he even keep hiding it…

At the royal residence, Li Zhan sat in the courtyard, lost in thought, the faint scent of wine lingering on him.

He rarely drank, but tonight he had made an exception.

“Wang Ye, are we going to stay in the Prince Residence permanently?” Dong Dong asked from the side.

Li Zhan glanced at him and asked, “What, have you lived in Yinghui Pavilion so long that now the Prince Residence can’t hold you?”

Dong Dong chuckled and quickly said, “It’s not that, I was just thinking… aren’t you going to visit Young Master Ji and… the future little heir?”

At those words, a fleeting smile passed over Li Zhan’s face, though he quickly suppressed it.

Dong Dong, catching on to his master’s thoughts, added, “Maybe Young Master Ji wants to see you too.”

Li Zhan was silent for a moment. His expression grew complicated.

“I know… he doesn’t want the child. He’s a man, after all… Even if he’s now become an inner attendant…” Li Zhan let out a bitter laugh. “This kind of thing… anyone would have trouble accepting it, wouldn’t they?” Besides, Ji Qingzhou didn’t have any feelings for him—how could he be willing to carry a child for him?

“But the child already exists, and you can’t just…” Dong Dong began.

“If he says he doesn’t want it, am I supposed to force him to give birth to it?” Li Zhan said.

Dong Dong now understood. His master wanted the child, but feared that Young Master Ji wouldn’t agree—so he was avoiding him. If they met and Ji Qingzhou brought up the idea of aborting the child, given how much Wang Ye cared, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

But that would surely break Wang Ye’s heart.

“Does Wang Ye plan to wait until the child is born before seeing Young Master Ji again?” Dong Dong asked.

Li Zhan shot him a look. “I’m not that shameless…”

After all, no matter how much he cared about the child, he cared even more about Ji Qingzhou.

He had to face this eventually. He knew he couldn’t keep avoiding it.

It was just that this child’s arrival had been such a surprise, such a joy, that now—when he had to confront Ji Qingzhou—it left him feeling anxious and conflicted.

If he and Ji Qingzhou were mutually in love, the child would be a blessing. But that wasn’t the case. What had happened at Fengxian Pavilion had been an accident… Ji Qingzhou had suffered because of him.

And now Ji Qingzhou would have to bear the pain of childbirth for his sake…

Just thinking about it made Li Zhan feel guilty.

If Ji Qingzhou were willing, Li Zhan would stop at nothing to protect both of them—father and child.

But if Ji Qingzhou wasn’t willing… then no matter how much he wanted the child, he couldn’t bring himself to force him.

“Tomorrow… no, the day after tomorrow…” Li Zhan said, “I’ll return to Yinghui Pavilion the day after tomorrow.”

Dong Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the way his master had been restless and sleepless lately, if he waited any longer, he might truly fall ill.

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