The hall had been quiet, but at those words, people started moving. Xueya felt momentarily confused until he was pushed in front of a screen, his hands tied to the carved railing above. It dawned on him then that the whip was meant for him.
Before he could beg for mercy, a piece of white cloth was stuffed into his mouth, leaving him to make muffled sounds.
The Crown Prince took the long whip from a jade tray, his cold eyes sweeping over Xueya, and raised his hand for the first strike.
Although Xueya was from a brothel, the madam had always been careful with his skin, never allowing severe punishment. Now, he truly felt what pain was.
After just one whip, he was in tears. By the third, he felt like half his soul had left his body, and by the seventh, he could barely move, close to passing out.
The Crown Prince was adept with the whip, aiming at the body without hitting the face. Thus, Xueya’s clothes were in tatters, but his face remained intact. Just as the ninth whip was about to fall, someone rushed in from outside.
“Your Highness, Lord Empress has sent something over.”
The Crown Prince paused, a trace of pleasure flashing in his eyes. He tossed the bloody whip to a servant and asked, “What is it?”
“Red bean pastry and jade cups. Lord Empress just had some and thought it was delicious, so he sent some to the Eastern Palace for Your Highness to try,” the person replied.
The Crown Prince smiled, “Godfather knows I love sweets.” With that, he glanced at the still-bound Xueya. Xueya’s head was lowered, his clothes bloodied, appearing unconscious.
“Send him to be castrated,” the Crown Prince ordered, wiping his hands with a cloth handed by a servant. But as he turned to leave, he stopped. “Wait.”
He looked back at Xueya and walked over. “Lift his face.”
A servant immediately complied.
Xueya was forced to look up, his small face tear-streaked and eyes filled with tears. When he saw the Crown Prince, his pupils contracted, and more tears flowed as if begging for mercy.
Unmoved, the Crown Prince’s gaze shifted downward. “Clothes.”
A servant stepped forward to strip Xueya naked. The clothes, soaked in blood, stuck to his wounds, causing him to nearly faint from the pain.
The Crown Prince glanced over, then suddenly smiled. “With this being so small, whether he’s castrated or not makes no difference. Forget it.”
With that, he turned and left.
***
Xueya laid on a hard bed for half a month, with someone coming daily to change his dressings. It wasn’t until the eighteenth day that he could barely walk.
As soon as he could get out of bed, he was brought before the Crown Prince.
No, he could no longer call him the Crown Prince. The other had now become the new Emperor.
Eighteen days ago, Xueya had thought the Crown Prince was a kind person. Now he knew how dark his heart was, and he couldn’t help but tremble when kneeling before him.
Cui Lingjing, newly crowned, had a pile of matters to deal with. Only today did he have a free moment and learned from a servant that Xueya could get out of bed, so he had him brought over.
At this moment, Cui Lingjing coldly scrutinized Xueya, noting that he seemed even thinner than a few days ago, like a little lamb. Kneeling on the ground, exposing a delicate white neck, it seemed like it could be snapped with a single hand.
Xueya seemed to sense the gaze on him and shivered again, burying his head even deeper, wishing he could make himself invisible. He had once thought immense wealth was within his grasp, but now he realized that only death awaited him.
“Are you afraid of me?” Cui Lingjing asked ambiguously.
Xueya paused, then quickly shook his head.
“If you’re not afraid, then lift your head,” Cui Lingjing continued.
Trembling all over, Xueya had no choice but to raise his head. As he saw that cold, handsome face, his eyes filled with tears. Cui Lingjing saw the tears and smiled faintly. “Why are you crying? I haven’t hit you today. Do you cry this easily because the late Emperor often punished you?”
Xueya tried to hold back his tears, but he was so scared of the person in front of him that he couldn’t stop them. He could only shake his head.
“Alright, stop crying. Your crying annoys me,” Cui Lingjing said impatiently.
This made Xueya immediately stop crying, though tears still hung on his cheeks. He wanted to wipe them away but didn’t dare.
Noticing Xueya’s sudden cessation of crying, Cui Lingjing raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused. He leaned forward, wiping away the tears on Xueya’s cheek with his finger. “I’ve just ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty. How about I pardon your death sentence too?”
Xueya was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded.
“Your death sentence is lifted, and you’ve already suffered for your offenses. From now on, you’ll serve in my palace, alright?”
A hint of struggle flashed in Xueya’s eyes, but the hope for fortune sprouted again in his heart. He bit his lip and showed a cautious smile. “Is that possible?”
Cui Lingjing smiled too. “Of course, it’s possible.” He then turned to the chief eunuch beside him. “Give him eunuch’s clothes and let him serve by my side from now on.”
The chief eunuch acknowledged the order and had Xueya taken away to change.
The eunuch’s clothes were unattractive, dark green, but Xueya was naturally beautiful. Though he had lost weight over the past few days, he still looked good, even in the unattractive green robe, outshining others around him, even those serving closely to Cui Lingjing were chosen for their good looks.
After changing into the eunuch’s attire, Xueya was terrified that he would be castrated. He spent several days in constant fear, but when no one came to do it, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Once he was relieved, he couldn’t help but wonder when he would get the chance to serve the new Emperor directly.
Since seeing Cui Lingjing a few days earlier, Xueya had been assigned to menial tasks like sweeping. Every day, before dawn, he had to get up and make sure there wasn’t a single fallen leaf on the ground. If any were found, he wouldn’t get to eat.
Missing a few meals made Xueya’s face even thinner.
He didn’t want to stay and sweep forever. If he had to keep doing menial work, he might as well find a way out of the palace and make a living elsewhere. However, the area he swept was far from the Emperor’s residence, and he would have to pass through three major checkpoints to get there.
The cold, armed guards were the first checkpoint.
Seeing the guards made him too scared to approach, so he continued sweeping. After several days, he was utterly exhausted. One early morning, before the inspector eunuch arrived, he abandoned his broom and dozed off against the wall.
Above him was an osmanthus tree, and as the wind blew, osmanthus flowers fell all over Xueya. He fell asleep drowsily until someone kicked him awake.
“So, you’re slacking off here.”
Cui Lingjing’s voice was lazy.
Seeing Cui Lingjing standing before him, Xueya felt both fear and surprise. He quickly knelt and performed the salute he had just learned. However, he hadn’t practiced much, so it wasn’t perfect, and his hat fell off, causing Cui Lingjing to chuckle.
After laughing at Xueya, Cui Lingjing glanced at the osmanthus tree beside them. He had planted this tree in his childhood and even climbed it. This morning, he suddenly wanted to see it, so he dismissed his attendants and came alone, only to find a lazy, napping “cat.”
With his busy schedule, Cui Lingjing had almost forgotten Xueya’s existence. Seeing him napping in the morning light, his delicate face seemingly glowing, he couldn’t resist kicking him awake.
Xueya hurriedly picked up his hat and put it back on, then heard Cui Lingjing’s voice.
“What work are you doing now?”
“Sweeping,” Xueya replied.
Cui Lingjing pondered for a moment. “No more sweeping. From now on, you will serve me closely.”
Xueya was overjoyed to hear this. He couldn’t help but look up, smiling as he had been taught in the brothel, with eyes wide open and eyebrows arched. After smiling, he remembered he was facing the Emperor, not a customer, and quickly lowered his head. “This servant… obeys your command.”
Cui Lingjing saw Xueya’s smile and smirked before turning away.
***
Xueya could now serve Cui Lingjing closely, but in reality, he had no duties. There were too many attendants around Cui Lingjing, and he wasn’t needed. Although he was supposed to serve closely, he didn’t even get the chance to carry water.
Moreover, Xueya felt that the other palace servants seemed to ostracize him. After thinking it over, he realized they must be jealous of his intact body. Despite this, he knew he had to curry favor.
Having grown up in a brothel, Xueya was skilled at adapting to different people. The first person he targeted was Xu Pingnan, the adopted son of the chief eunuch serving Cui Lingjing.
Xu Pingnan was a few years older than Xueya, efficient in his work but a habitual gambler. Unfortunately, his gambling skills were poor, and he often lost everything. One day, after losing again and feeling frustrated, Xueya secretly followed him.
The next day, Xueya took the two copper coins Xu Pingnan had given him to the gambling table, and by the end of the session, the two coins had turned into a hundred. Xu Pingnan’s attitude toward Xueya changed dramatically. After that, Xueya began to stand by Xu Pingnan’s side, helping him gamble.
Xu Pingnan had never won so smoothly before. In a good mood, he was willing to speak well of Xueya in front of his godGodfather. On the third day, Xueya received the task of bringing the washbasin for Cui Lingjing.
That day, Xueya got up early and applied some osmanthus oil he had secretly collected to his wrists and behind his ears, hoping to make an impression on Cui Lingjing. But reality disappointed him.
A military report from the border arrived urgently. Cui Lingjing didn’t even glance at him, quickly washing up and rushing to the court.
Xu Pingnan had only promised to help him get one opportunity to serve in front of the Emperor. The next day, someone else was doing the task of bringing the washbasin again, which made Xueya so angry he cried, thinking he might as well leave the palace.
But leaving the palace was impossible. Xueya had no choice but to keep pestering Xu Pingnan, who eventually got annoyed and sent him to deliver items.
“Go deliver things to a few of the consorts.”
The late Emperor had several consorts in addition to He Xulan, the male empress. Although Cui Lingjing was not their biological son, he didn’t treat them poorly and sometimes sent people to deliver items to them. As for He Xulan, Cui Lingjing always delivered items personally.
Listlessly following others to deliver items, Xueya had to cross the imperial garden. Halfway through, everyone in front of him knelt down. “This servant greets the Empress Dowager. Long live the Empress Dowager.”
With the new Emperor’s ascension, He Xulan had risen from Lord Empress to Empress Dowager.
Xueya, walking at the end of the line, was preoccupied with thoughts of how to get Cui Lingjing to notice him. So, when others knelt down, he was still standing, even raising his head foolishly upon hearing “Empress Dowager.”
Raising his head, he locked eyes with another pair of eyes.
Author’s Note:
Xueya, who wasn’t castrated because he was too small: He must be saying I’m too young. (hesitant)
Readers familiar with my other books probably know my style. No matter how much the characters like the gong in the beginning, they will like the shou later. This story is no exception.
Xueya is probably the dumbest shou I’ve written, but it’s okay. His beauty will max out. (sigh)
Xueya: ???
