Chapter 1: The Young Eunuch

The Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Xiao Cheng, are you dead yet? If not, get up right now!"

"Understood."

What wretched luck—just yesterday I drank with a client, and I still haven’t sobered up.

"What are you dawdling for? His Highness the Crown Prince wants you to attend him for his bath and to help him change. Has Chief Steward Li knocked you senseless?"

The tone of this man’s voice was off, uncannily similar to the eunuchs in historical dramas.

"Crown Prince? Chief Steward Li?"

Suddenly, a flood of memories surged into Ye Cheng’s mind, crashing over him and making his head throb with pain.

He had transmigrated into an ancient dynasty, becoming a young eunuch in the Eastern Palace, the residence of the Crown Prince.

Ye Cheng quickly checked himself and was startled to find everything still intact—thank heavens!

What was going on? He hadn’t been castrated?

He hadn’t even sorted his thoughts when the eunuch beside him kept urging him along, leaving Ye Cheng no choice but to muddle after him in confusion.

The Eastern Palace, as the Crown Prince’s residence, was grand and regal in every detail.

"Chief Wang, why isn’t the Crown Prince attended by palace maids?" Ye Cheng asked curiously.

On their way, he’d seen many lovely young girls.

"When working in the palace, remember what to ask and what not to ask. Why do you care so much?" Chief Wang’s cold eyes shot Ye Cheng a warning glance.

Ye Cheng dared not question further.

The moon hung in a sparse sky.

The two arrived before a majestic palace hall.

Chief Wang pointed at the doors and said, "Go in and hand His Highness his clothes. Do not approach the bath."

"Understood," Ye Cheng replied with a smile, preparing to enter. But just as he was about to step inside, Chief Wang clapped him on the shoulder, his expression strange.

"Xiao Cheng, don’t say I didn’t warn you—anyone who gets close to the bath loses his head. Two have died this month already."

Ye Cheng felt a chill crawl down his neck. What kind of twisted situation was this? Was he about to die right after transmigrating?

Could the Crown Prince be hiding some unspeakable secret?

He immediately wanted to turn and leave, but Chief Wang was ruthless. Seeing his hesitation, the eunuch gave him a swift kick to his backside, sending him stumbling into the bath chamber, and promptly shut the door behind him.

Ye Cheng cursed under his breath and looked around. The hall was dim, the candlelight flickering faintly, shrouding everything in darkness.

Ahead, steam rose thickly, accompanied by the sound of splashing water.

That should be the bath, screened off by a partition. Through the screen, Ye Cheng could make out a graceful silhouette bathing.

"Could the Crown Prince be a monster?" Ye Cheng wondered, following Chief Wang’s instructions and not daring to step past the screen.

Suddenly, Ye Cheng sniffed the air and sensed something unusual.

A gentle, feminine fragrance lingered in the air.

Ye Cheng, being quite handsome and not unfamiliar with the pursuit of beauty, recognized this subtle scent at once—it was unmistakably the delicate fragrance of a woman.

"Could the Crown Prince be a woman?" A bold thought flashed through Ye Cheng’s mind.

Searching his memories, he realized he’d rarely seen the Crown Prince. In public, the Prince was always cold and distant, yet with skin as smooth as jade, fair and glowing, and strikingly beautiful—nothing at all like a man.

"Come here and bring me my clothes," a cool voice called from behind the screen as the figure stepped out of the water.

Ye Cheng hurried forward to hand over the garments, but fate had other plans. As he reached the screen, he tripped, stumbled forward, and sent the screen crashing down.

In that instant, the flawless form before him was fully revealed: a face of peerless beauty, exquisitely delicate, cheeks soft as petals.

Her figure gleamed like white jade, curves bold and enchanting.

Her stunning features were flushed pink from the rising steam, but in a flash, those clear eyes blazed with a chilling, murderous light.

Ye Cheng was rooted to the spot, eyes wide with shock. He had seen beauty before, but never anything like this. The actresses from his previous life were nothing but dust compared to her.

Before he could react, a forceful palm strike lashed out, the air itself seeming to crush him.

The blow landed on his chest, sending him flying several yards away.

His chest surged with pain, blood and breath roiling as if about to burst.

What was this?

Martial arts?

This was no ordinary ancient dynasty—this was a world where martial prowess reigned supreme.

The stunning figure now stood with a cold expression, calmly donning a dragon-embroidered robe and stepping lightly toward him.

The soft footsteps sounded like the harbinger of death, making Ye Cheng’s back break out in cold sweat.

His mind raced for a way out.

"Heh, yet another spy sent by that wretched woman? You must have a death wish."

A cold smile flickered across Ling Xiaoyue’s lovely face.

"Wretched woman? Who could that be?"

The answer dawned on Ye Cheng at once—it was the Crown Princess, a princess from an enemy kingdom.

A year ago, the armies of Great Zhou had pressed to the gates of Yan’s capital. To broker peace, the Yan royal family had married their princess to the Crown Prince of Zhou.

Yet the Crown Prince seemed to have no affection for his consort.

"Your Highness, I truly am not sent by the Crown Princess. I am… I am…" Ye Cheng stammered in panic.

"Oh? If not hers, then whose man are you?" Ling Xiaoyue’s murderous intent did not fade. Her secret could not be uncovered—otherwise, the fate of Great Zhou itself was at stake.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Ye Cheng. "I serve Her Majesty the Empress!"

Though the Empress was not the Crown Prince’s birth mother, she had always treated the Prince as her own, showering her with affection.

"The Empress’s man? Has even the Empress begun to suspect my identity?" Ling Xiaoyue’s brows knitted in doubt, her beautiful face shadowed with uncertainty.

"Her Majesty has never doubted Your Highness—she merely sent me to attend you. But if Your Highness kills me, the Empress will certainly become suspicious."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Ye Cheng’s eyes brightened and he hurriedly spun his tale.

"Is that so?" The killing intent in Ling Xiaoyue’s eyes lessened.

"I swear it’s true. I would never reveal Your Highness’s secret to the Empress. I am willing to devote my life to Your Highness!"

Ye Cheng thumped his chest in earnest.

Ling Xiaoyue was still wavering when a cold, ghostly voice sounded: "Your Highness must not believe him. He’s only a lowly eunuch—how could he be one of the Empress’s men?"