After Being Reborn as the Chief Eunuch Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The next morning, after court, Qin Zheng and Chi Zhou met with Li Zhan at the Prince Residence to discuss affairs.

Ever since Li Zhan had moved to Yinghui Pavilion, they rarely came to the Prince Residence. Being summoned here so suddenly, they found it a bit unsettling. Especially since the Prince Residence was some distance from the palace—they had to travel back and forth by carriage, which was quite inconvenient.

“Wang Ye, we’re not going to start holding all our discussions here now, are we?” Qin Zheng asked.

Hearing that, Chi Zhou also looked at Li Zhan with a trace of curiosity. He wasn’t as close to Li Zhan as Qin Zheng was and didn’t dare to ask such questions directly, but he was also quite eager to know the answer.

Especially after delivering that letter for Ji Qingzhou the other day—Chi Zhou had been pondering its contents ever since, constantly feeling there was some incredible secret between the Regent and Ji Qingzhou.

“You talk too much,” Li Zhan said, casting a glance at Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng chuckled, then asked, “Why didn’t Young Master Ji attend court this morning?”

Including yesterday, Ji Qingzhou had not accompanied Li Zhan to court for two consecutive days since court had resumed. The ministers didn’t say anything on the surface, but in private, they were certainly talking. If it had been the old Chief Steward Yao, skipping court for a few days wouldn’t be a big deal. But Ji Qingzhou was different—there had already been discontent when he was promoted to Chief Steward. Now that he was absent, everyone was beginning to speculate: Had he offended the Regent? Was he falling out of favor?

Li Zhan didn’t intend to answer Qin Zheng’s question. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, “How’s the Princess of Liang Kingdom…. doing?”

“Her Highness has spent the last few days eating, drinking, shopping—just indulging in everything,” Qin Zheng sighed. “Fortunately, she’s spending her own money. If she were spending mine, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with her.”

Chi Zhou added, “I’ve long heard the Liang Princess is a bold and capable woman. Since she’s willing to stay in the capital, she must truly appreciate the culture and scenery here and be reluctant to leave.”

“Heh,” Qin Zheng laughed. “She’s looking to bring back a husband from Dayu. Unfortunately—”

“Unfortunately what?” Chi Zhou asked, confused.

“You haven’t seen Her Highness yet, have you?” Qin Zheng replied.

Chi Zhou nodded, his expression a little puzzled.

“I’ll introduce you someday. You’re young, talented, and handsome—maybe she’ll take a liking to you,” Qin Zheng said with a teasing tone. Chi Zhou flushed in embarrassment and quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare aim that high…”

Li Zhan looked at Chi Zhou for a moment, then suddenly said, “How much silver did you spend at the Jiao Fang Department? Later, go report it to Dong Dong. I’ll reimburse you.”

Chi Zhou hurriedly replied, “Thank you, Wang Ye, but there’s no need—”

“It’s settled. This is a separate matter,” Li Zhan said, not giving Chi Zhou any chance to refuse. Then, turning to Qin Zheng, he added, “In a few days, I’ll have someone organize a martial arts competition. The participants will be soldiers from the capital garrison and the Western camp. Since your father commands the capital garrison, you’ll be in charge of overseeing this.”

Qin Zheng quickly accepted the task.

Li Zhan continued, “If the Liang Princess is still in the capital by then, invite her to attend. I imagine she’ll be quite interested in such an event.”

“A girl interested in a martial arts competition?” Qin Zheng said, a little puzzled.

Li Zhan gave him a meaningful look but didn’t say anything more.

Around noon, just as they finished their meeting, Dong Dong hurried in and whispered a few words into Li Zhan’s ear.

Li Zhan’s expression darkened at once.

“What happened?” Qin Zheng asked nervously.

Dong Dong glanced at Li Zhan, who gave no indication that Qin Zheng or Chi Zhou needed to be kept in the dark. So he replied, “We received news from the estate—Prince Heng attempted suicide… Although he was saved, he now refuses to eat or drink and insists on seeing Wang Ye.”

“Prepare the horses. I’ll go see him,” Li Zhan said.

In truth, he had many things he wanted to say to Prince Heng—or rather, many questions he wanted to ask his Fourth Brother.

Chi Zhou hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Wang Ye, please reconsider. These are turbulent times, and the estate is quite far. Even riding at top speed, it’ll take you at least half a day to get there and back.”

“Yes,” Qin Zheng chimed in. “Prince Heng has always been erratic. Using this tactic to force Wang Ye to see him—he probably doesn’t have good intentions.”

Li Zhan had, of course, considered this. By now, whatever brotherly affection he once had for Prince Heng had long been exhausted. What he truly feared was that if Prince Heng died at this critical moment, the fallout could complicate everything.

“It’s fine. I know what I’m doing,” Li Zhan said calmly.

Chi Zhou and Qin Zheng exchanged glances, their expressions grave.

At Yinghui Pavilion.

Ji Qingzhou had gotten up early as usual. By protocol, even though Li Zhan no longer resided at Yinghui Pavilion, Ji Qingzhou was still supposed to accompany him to court. But just as he rose, an attendant came to inform him that he was to rest and skip court today.

Ji Qingzhou couldn’t figure out what Li Zhan was thinking, so he obediently stayed at Yinghui Pavilion.

Unexpectedly, after court, officials from the Ministry of Revenue arrived. They said they were acting under Li Zhan’s instructions and wanted to consult with him.

Ji Qingzhou was baffled. Li Zhan wasn’t here—was he really expected to lead discussions with the Ministry?

Although he had been involved in coordinating with the Ministry before, making decisions without Li Zhan’s presence felt like overstepping.

But he wasn’t the only one confused—the Ministry officials looked even more bewildered.

Just that morning, court officials had still been gossiping that Chief Steward Ji had lost favor. But now? That didn’t seem to be the case at all.

“Although you weren’t present the past few days, Chief Steward Ji, things have been progressing smoothly according to the previous plans. However, there’s one matter His Highness instructed us to consult you on,” one official said. “The palace’s income and expenditures have traditionally been handled separately from the Ministry, managed by the Inner Attendant Department. Now that both departments have clear roles, there still needs to be someone to make final decisions in major matters. We’d like to know—are you willing to take on this responsibility?”

Ji Qingzhou paused and asked, “Is this Wang Ye’s decision or yours?”

“It’s Wang Ye’s idea, but he said he wouldn’t finalize anything without first getting your consent,” the man replied.

Ji Qingzhou: …

If he agreed, he would be taking control over the entire palace’s financial authority!

What on earth was Li Zhan thinking? How could he entrust something this important to him?

“Let me think it over. There’s no rush,” Ji Qingzhou said.

The others didn’t press further.

After the meeting, the Ministry and Inner Attendant Department still had some coordination issues to finalize. Ji Qingzhou sent Tu Dayou and some others to handle the matter at the Inner Attendant offices. Now that the two departments were working jointly, with mutual oversight, there was little risk of the kind of embezzlement that had occurred in the past.

Shortly after Tu Dayou and the others left, Xiao Shan rushed in to tell Ji Qingzhou that officials from the Ministry of Appointments were outside requesting to see him.

Ji Qingzhou was quite puzzled. He had never dealt with the Ministry of Appointments before, and any tasks they had should’ve been directed to Li Zhan—why would they come to Yinghui Pavilion to see him?

But knowing that the Ministry of Appointments was now under Li Zhan’s direct control, Ji Qingzhou dared not dismiss them. He followed Xiao Shan out of Yinghui Pavilion.

At the gate, the men outside showed Ji Qingzhou their official waist tokens. Xiao Shan carefully verified each one and found no issue.

“What business brings you here?” Ji Qingzhou asked.

“We apologize for disturbing Chief Steward Ji—it truly wasn’t our place,” one of the men began. “But while we were sorting the Inner Attendant Department’s records for distributed medicines over the past few days, we discovered that Chief Steward Ji didn’t follow the official procedure when receiving his last dose. We dared not trouble you to come in person, so we brought the medicine here. Once you accept it according to the proper protocol, we can complete the recordkeeping.”

As soon as those words fell, Ji Qingzhou’s face turned deathly pale.

Xiao Shan, standing beside him, also jumped in shock and instantly panicked, unsure what to do.

Ji Qingzhou was now nearly four months pregnant. If he took that medicine, the consequences were unthinkable…

He forced himself to stay calm, wondering silently—was this something Li Zhan had instructed? Since the Ministry of Appointments now fell under Li Zhan’s jurisdiction, and these men had presented official tokens from that ministry, it didn’t seem like a trick…

No wonder Li Zhan had been avoiding him lately. Could this have been the reason?

“You said Chief Steward Ji took the medicine in early April,” Xiao Shan interjected. “By the calendar, it won’t be four full months until early August. Isn’t your visit a bit premature?”

The man from the Ministry of Appointments looked at Xiao Shan and gave a faint smile. “You must be the young eunuch who caused a stir at the Office of Judicial Review last time after taking the medicine, yes? You may not be aware, but though our ministry tightened procedures after that incident, medicine distribution is still a matter where early is better than late. The longer the delay, the less effective the treatment. Our visit today is entirely within protocol.”

Another man added, “Since Chief Steward Ji is the head of the Inner Attendant Department, he should understand the importance of not making this difficult for us. If word gets out, it might be hard to clean up the mess.”

By now Ji Qingzhou had regained much of his composure. His gaze sharpened as he looked at the men and asked coldly, “Who sent you?”

“Why, Wang Ye, of course,” one of them replied. “No one else has the authority to assign us this task.”

Xiao Shan was stunned, his face filled with disbelief. He looked toward Ji Qingzhou, his expression frantic, almost on the verge of tears. Having gone through this himself once before, seeing Ji Qingzhou now being forced into the same situation was almost unbearable.

“No… it can’t be…” Xiao Shan shook his head.

Ji Qingzhou, however, remained calm. He placed a hand on Xiao Shan’s shoulder and said evenly, “Xiao Shan, since they claim Wang Ye gave this order, go and ask Wang Ye directly. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

Xiao Shan froze for a moment but immediately understood.

He had already felt that Wang Ye wouldn’t issue such an order. Now, with Ji Qingzhou’s reminder, it all made sense.

Just as Xiao Shan was about to head back into Yinghui Pavilion, one of the officials called out, “No need to trouble yourself, young eunuch. Wang Ye isn’t in the palace today. We all know that.”

Ji Qingzhou had only suspected up to this point. His first instinct had been to think this might’ve come from Li Zhan, but as he calmed down, he dismissed that possibility. From what he knew of Li Zhan these days, even if he didn’t want the child, he would at least speak to him openly and directly—he wouldn’t resort to something this underhanded….

To think that with just a bit of probing, these people exposed themselves.

Since they knew Li Zhan wasn’t in the palace today, they must have deliberately chosen this moment to act.

“No matter,” Ji Qingzhou said with a faint smile. “Xiao Shan, send someone to the Prince’s residence and ask Wang Ye directly.”

Xiao Shan caught on instantly and took off at a run toward the palace gates…

The officials from the Ministry, however, didn’t seem the least bit nervous. They clearly anticipated this move.

One of them said, “We may as well tell you, Chief Steward Ji—the Regent left for the outskirts of the capital around midday. The Fourth Prince isn’t well, and Wang Ye, being a devoted brother, naturally went to check on him… He won’t return until tomorrow at the earliest.”

Ji Qingzhou: …

So this was a calculated strike, meant to pull the rug out from under him. Prince Heng was really determined to drag someone down with him, even if it killed him.

In the countryside estate outside the capital.

Prince Heng lay on the couch, his face gray and haggard.

After a moment, the door opened, and a tall, familiar figure stepped into the room.

Prince Heng turned to look and immediately broke into a faint smile.

Though the room was dim, he could still make out the figure’s clothing and facial features, and he was certain—it was Li Zhan.

“Wang Ye, we were worried the Fourth Prince might try something again, so we gave him a dose of medicine. He has no strength in his limbs now, not even enough to bite his tongue,” a guard reported to Li Zhan. “You can speak to him freely—he won’t be getting up anytime soon.”

Hearing this, Li Zhan stepped forward a few paces, though his figure still remained shrouded in shadows, indistinct.

“Third Brother, come a bit closer so I can get a good look at you, alright?” Prince Heng said.

Li Zhan simply stared at him without responding, clearly signaling that he should get to the point.

Prince Heng knew his Third Brother had always had little patience for him, so he didn’t beat around the bush. Smiling, he said, “I knew you’d come. You’re trying to reverse the verdict against the Ji family. If I were to die now, it would do you no good at all…”

“Third Brother… I truly have nothing left. Yet you still treat me this way,” Prince Heng said bitterly. “I know. Once Second Brother is released, the first thing he’ll do is kill me—or at the very least, torture me. Is this how you treat your own brother? Watching me die, personally throwing me into the abyss with no way back… all for a eunuch? All for Ji Qingzhou?”

Li Zhan remained silent, as if he hadn’t heard a word of what was said. His expression showed no reaction at all.

“I hate seeing that indifferent look on your face the most, like nothing in the world concerns you. You’ve always been like that since we were young… Do my joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness seem like a joke to you? Every time you look at me, it’s like you’re staring at some clueless little brat…” Prince Heng gave a bitter laugh and continued, “I’ve had enough. I’m already in this state, there’s nothing more to fear… But since I’ve fallen so low, don’t think you’ll get off easy!”

He looked weakly at Li Zhan, a crazed smile creeping onto his face. With vicious malice, he said, “You knew I liked him, yet you still had to compete with me. I couldn’t win against you… Now every time I think of him being touched by you, I feel sick…”

Li Zhan let out a cold snort, a sound filled with disdain, as if he were stifling a laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Prince Heng’s expression shifted and he asked, “Do you think just because you control the Ministry of Appointments, you can sit back and relax? I know you’ve pulled out all my spies… but what you definitely didn’t expect is that I planted a few death warriors in the Ministry long ago. Originally, I thought I might never need to use them.”

Li Zhan’s brow furrowed slightly—he seemed a bit surprised.

Seeing his reaction, Prince Heng looked pleased with himself. “The medicine from the Ministry has already been delivered to Ji Qingzhou. I bet by the time you return to the palace, those two—father and child—will both be gone… A double death. Just imagining you crying over their corpses makes me feel ecstatic.”

“Ji Qingzhou and your little bastard… will keep me company on the road to the afterlife. Are you jealous, Brother?” Prince Heng stared at Li Zhan, a crazed, vengeful joy flashing in his eyes.

If he couldn’t have what he wanted, he’d rather destroy it all…

Outside Yinghui Pavilion.

Ji Qingzhou was standing face-to-face with the Ministry officials.

A crowd of inner attendants had already gathered around them, all looking puzzled and clearly unsure of what was happening.

“Chief Steward Ji, are you really going to wait for that little enuch to come back and report before you believe us?” one of the Ministry men said. “You can refuse the medicine if you want, but with so many witnesses, we’ll just mark it down as a refusal in the records. If trouble arises later, don’t blame us when Wang Ye gets dragged into it and the ministers start demanding answers…”

Another added, “If this were any other time, Wang Ye, as head of the Ministry, might’ve quietly arranged for your medicine to be waived. But now that this has escalated, if Wang Ye wants to quiet the rumors, he must follow procedure. Otherwise, won’t everyone in the Inner Attendant Department start refusing their medicine?”

The crowd kept growing, and Ji Qingzhou stood at the entrance to Yinghui Pavilion, so dizzy under the sun he nearly fainted.

He knew that if they were being so brazen, then it was likely true—Li Zhan was not in the capital.

There was no way today’s situation would end peacefully.

Whether he drank the medicine or not, the matter would blow up and reach the outer court…

He just never imagined Prince Heng would still have a card up his sleeve like this.

“Chief Steward Ji…” One of the officials noticed Ji Qingzhou’s expression becoming paler, and thinking he might be giving in, brought the bowl of medicine from the food box and held it in front of him. “Please just take it. That way we can all complete our duty.”

Ji Qingzhou looked up at the man, his vision already starting to blur. He could barely see clearly.

His mind was blank, and with the heatstroke setting in, his thoughts were growing more and more disoriented…

He dazedly raised his hand, but before his fingers touched the bowl, everything suddenly darkened before him. A tall figure stepped between him and the officials, intercepting the bowl.

It wasn’t clear whether it was because the man had blocked the sunlight or for another reason, but Ji Qingzhou felt an overwhelming chill radiating from his back. The air itself seemed to freeze at the newcomer’s presence.

“W-Wang Ye?” The Ministry officials all dropped to their knees with a loud thud, trembling in fear.

Li Zhan held the bowl of medicine, his face unreadable.

His eyes swept over each of the officials, then he said coldly, “I recall that back in Yan Court, even when medicine was granted, no one was ever forced to drink it in public.”

Dong Dong, nearby, added, “This is a strong medicine. Out of concern, the Ministry always instructed inner attendants to take it indoors and rest afterward, to avoid physical discomfort.”

“Mm.” Li Zhan nodded lightly. “Since that’s the case, let’s follow the rules. I’ll lend you the Yinghui Pavilion for this.”

After speaking, Li Zhan turned with the bowl of medicine in hand. Then, with his other hand, he gripped Ji Qingzhou’s arm and led him into Yinghui Pavilion.

Ji Qingzhou followed him in, completely out of sorts. His head spun, and a sharp ringing filled his ears… He could no longer think properly—only sheer willpower was keeping him from collapsing.

“Why stand around outside like fools? Once you shut the door to Yinghui Pavilion, who would dare barge in?” Though Li Zhan’s words carried a trace of reproach, his tone was surprisingly gentle.

Ji Qingzhou glanced at the medicine bowl in his hand, just in time to see Li Zhan casually pour the contents into a nearby flowerpot. With his other hand, he gently wrapped an arm around Ji Qingzhou and helped him onto a nearby couch.

Li Zhan looked at the youth’s pale face, and couldn’t help but raise his sleeve to wipe the sweat from Ji Qingzhou’s brow.

Ji Qingzhou stared at him in a daze, his eyes filled with confusion and a faint haze. Li Zhan knew he was no longer entirely lucid, but he still restrained himself from doing anything more. He simply leaned in close and whispered softly into the boy’s ear, “Stay put—I’ll be back soon.”

Outside Yinghui Pavilion, the Ministry of Appointments officials were already as pale as ash.

Though they were death warriors, they weren’t completely numb automatons.

Li Zhan’s presence was like a sudden avalanche, and even though they were ready to die, fear still crept into their hearts.

They saw Li Zhan step out of Yinghui Pavilion with the empty bowl still in his hand.

His expression remained calm, betraying no anger, but the chill radiating from his body clearly showed he was far from tranquil inside.

“I personally watched Chief Steward Ji drink the medicine. You all have no objections, do you?” Li Zhan asked.

“N-no,” one of them stammered, trembling. By this point, they all knew there was no point in bluffing anymore.

Li Zhan handed the bowl to Dong Dong, who in turn passed it to the officials from the Ministry of Appointments.

Li Zhan said, “Since the medicine’s been taken, I assume it should now be recorded in the files?”

In truth, Li Zhan had already planned ahead regarding Ji Qingzhou’s medicine. He had been keeping track of the four-month period all along. It was just that Prince Heng’s interference today had disrupted his original timeline, forcing his hand earlier than expected. Still, Li Zhan was more than happy to go along with the flow—this saved him the trouble of making further arrangements.

Now that the medicine had been dealt with, by the time another four months passed, the Ji family’s case would likely be resolved.

“Yes,” the Ministry official answered. He had indeed come to record the event and, under Li Zhan’s cold gaze, nervously made a mark next to Ji Qingzhou’s name.

Seeing this, Li Zhan let out a cold laugh. “Now that you’ve done your part, it’s time for me to do mine.”

The crowd froze, all eyes turning to Li Zhan. They saw that his gaze now held undisguised hostility, and his voice dropped coldly: “Dong Dong, tell them what crimes they’ve committed.”

Dong Dong stepped forward and declared, “They falsely conveyed Wang Ye’s decree, incited unrest, disrupted the Ministry’s procedures, swaggered before Yinghui Pavilion with armed men, and attempted to coerce the head of the Inner Attendant Department… committing grave offenses against their superiors…”

He listed their crimes in full, and ended with, “According to the law, they should be executed.”

Li Zhan nodded. “For Chief Steward Ji’s sake, I’ll spare your lives. Fifty strokes each, then send them back to the Ministry of Appointments and let their superiors decide what to do with them.”

In truth, Li Zhan had wanted to kill them on the spot. But he’d heard that those who become parents should accumulate virtue for their children.

Now that he had something—or rather, someone—to care about, his state of mind had changed. Taking lives… if it could be avoided, then it should be.

Still, everyone present understood: though Li Zhan spared their lives, fifty strokes for weak, scholarly civil servants would most likely cripple them. And being sent back to the Ministry for punishment? The Ministry was under Li Zhan’s control now—they were doomed either way.

In other words, letting them live might be worse than letting them die.

Inside Yinghui Pavilion, Xiao Shan had already summoned an imperial physician in advance.

Ji Qingzhou had cooled down a bit and no longer looked as pale as before.

The physician prescribed a milder herbal remedy, and someone had gone to prepare it.

By the time Li Zhan returned, Ji Qingzhou was sitting on the couch, now wearing a light, thin robe. Upon seeing Li Zhan, a flush rose to his cheeks—he looked extremely uncomfortable.

The physician had already taken his pulse. Though he hadn’t said much in front of Ji Qingzhou, the youth had overheard him whispering to Li Zhan, “The fetus is very stable.” That single phrase made Ji Qingzhou so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into a hole.

“Fourth Brother wanted to get me out of the way today… Thankfully…” Li Zhan sat beside Ji Qingzhou. He seemed like he wanted to reach out and touch him, but his hand stopped mid-air and retracted. Sitting stiffly beside him, he said, “I was careless. I focused too much on removing his spies and overlooked the fact that he had planted death warriors in the Ministry.”

These men had never been activated by Prince Heng before. If not for today’s incident, Li Zhan might never have known.

“They said Wang Ye had gone to the outskirts. I thought…” Ji Qingzhou started.

“They were careful. They waited until they saw me leave the capital before making their move,” Li Zhan said. “But the person who left the capital wasn’t actually me.”

Ji Qingzhou was stunned for a moment, unable to respond.

Then realization struck—Li Zhan had used a body double?

At the estate—

“Ow ow ow… ahh…” Qin Zheng yelped as someone ripped off a lifelike disguise from his face.

Sitting across from him was none other than Princess Qi Jingheng of the Liang Kingdom.

“Your Liang Kingdom’s disguise skills are insane! Even His Highness’s own brother didn’t recognize me!” Qin Zheng winced and rubbed his reddened face as he marveled.

Qi Jingheng carefully stowed away the disguise and said, “It was done in a hurry, so the resemblance wasn’t perfect. But the lighting in that room was dim, and you didn’t speak—that’s why he didn’t notice.”

“Wait, you can even change the voice?” Qin Zheng asked.

“Yes,” she replied calmly.

Qin Zheng stared at her for a moment, then suddenly said, “Forgive my boldness.” He reached out toward her forehead to see if she was wearing a mask herself. But Qi Jingheng was quicker—she grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making Qin Zheng cry out in pain.

“If it were anyone else, you’d have earned a slap,” she said coldly.

“I’ve never claimed to be a proper gentleman. You know that, Princess… But for a girl, your grip is scary strong,” Qin Zheng grumbled, pulling his hand back while still eyeing her.

Qi Jingheng tucked away her disguise kit and said, “Let’s go—we need to return to the capital and report to His Highness.”

Qin Zheng had no choice but to stifle his questions and follow her out.

As they stepped outside, something suddenly occurred to him. He turned to the guards at the estate and said, “Go tell Prince Heng: live well, and wait for the celebration of Wang Ye’s wedding… and the baby’s one-month feast.”

“Wang Ye won’t let him out,” Qi Jingheng reminded him.

“No problem—I’ll personally bring it to him. Feed it to him bite by bite so he can soak in the joy,” Qin Zheng said with a sly grin.

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