Chapter 8: Nothing More to Say

Along the way, Ye Cheng kept pondering whether he should make a run for it. Yet, with Shangguan Feiyan’s sword pressed against his waist, he feared that any attempt to escape would end with this wicked woman stabbing a hole straight through him. Thus, Ye Cheng abandoned all thoughts of resistance.

He could only wonder how the Crown Princess would deal with him once she discovered he was a fake eunuch. Would it be a thousand cuts, or perhaps boiling oil and fire? Ye Cheng couldn’t even be bothered to imagine it; he could only take things one step at a time.

...

Dressed in men’s attire, Ling Xiaoyue lounged idly in a chair, sipping clear tea as she listened to Shangguan Feiyan’s report. Ling Xiaoyue's fair, lustrous face wore a half-smile, half-frown, which sent chills down Ye Cheng’s spine.

“Your Highness, spare me! I never meant to deceive you. When I first received the Empress’s orders, it all happened so quickly—there was no time for the procedure.”

Ye Cheng dropped to his knees with a thud, hurriedly begging for mercy.

Ling Xiaoyue fixed Ye Cheng with a cold, steely gaze. “So you admit you’re a fake eunuch.”

“Yes,” Ye Cheng nodded.

“You!”

Ling Xiaoyue could not help but feel a surge of fury as she recalled that day in the bathhouse. Not only had this scoundrel seen her completely exposed, he’d even dared to grope her. Killing him ten times over wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her anger! Even if he was planted by the Empress, he still deserved death.

“So, what exactly did you say and do when you visited the Crown Princess today?” Ling Xiaoyue pressed on.

Sensing the murderous intent radiating from her, Ye Cheng dared not hide a thing. He spilled out every detail, whether it should or should not be said, like beans tumbling from a bamboo tube—everything except his true identity as the former crown prince.

Both women blushed at his words.

“Despicable! Who would have thought that little wretch could be so wanton!” Ling Xiaoyue spat, her cheeks tinged with red.

“Your Highness, I suspect the Crown Princess, angered by your repeated absence, debased herself and resorted to such scandalous acts,” Shangguan Feiyan offered.

Ling Xiaoyue knew this all too well. Since Lin Yaoxue entered the palace, she could count their meetings on one hand. Naturally, Lin Yaoxue must be filled with resentment and eager to take a lover to cuckold her. What a scheme!

Heh.

“I am utterly loyal to Your Highness,” Ye Cheng added hurriedly. “Everything was forced upon me by the Crown Princess.”

“Your Highness, this man dared to defile the Crown Princess. I boldly suggest we execute him at once!” Shangguan Feiyan glared at Ye Cheng, her face full of murderous resolve.

Yet Ling Xiaoyue had other plans. Lin Yaoxue had always demanded they consummate their marriage, but how could she, as a woman, possibly comply? What’s more, Lin Yaoxue had been secretly investigating her identity. Now, with a ready-made man at hand, perhaps the old switcheroo could be performed—let this fake eunuch consummate the marriage in her stead.

“Enough. Ye Cheng has proven loyal, answering every question truthfully,” Ling Xiaoyue said, waving her delicate hand and dismissing Shangguan Feiyan’s suggestion.

Shangguan Feiyan was stunned, unable to fathom why her mistress would spare his life.

“Thank you, Your Highness! I will serve you with all my heart. To serve Your Highness is a blessing passed down from my ancestors!” Ye Cheng kowtowed in relief as he sensed Ling Xiaoyue’s murderous intent had abated.

But Shangguan Feiyan was relentless. “Ye Cheng, why can I find no record of your identity?”

“That, you’ll have to ask Her Majesty the Empress. It was she who erased my records,” Ye Cheng replied, shifting the blame onto the Empress—knowing full well Shangguan Feiyan would never question her directly.

Now Ye Cheng understood the true meaning of ‘serving a sovereign is like living with a tiger.’ However much Ling Xiaoyue appeared to trust him, she had quietly dispatched someone to investigate his background. When the Imperial Archives found no records, she grew suspicious and set Shangguan Feiyan to watch him—thus exposing his secret. From now on, he would have to be ever more cautious in the palace.

“You scoundrel!” Shangguan Feiyan fumed, indignant at his insolence.

“Today’s matter ends here. Ye Cheng, you may leave,” Ling Xiaoyue said, waving him off.

Ye Cheng bowed and exited the bedchamber, his back drenched in sweat, his whole body trembling. Once again, he’d circled the gates of hell. He still didn’t understand what the Crown Princess intended—knowing full well he was a fake, she had nonetheless spared his life.

...

“Your Highness, you know this man is a fraud, yet you let him live. I cannot comprehend it,” Shangguan Feiyan said bitterly, watching Ye Cheng depart.

“He will be of great use to me. You will understand in time,” Ling Xiaoyue replied coolly, keeping her true intentions hidden.

“Of great use?” Shangguan Feiyan bit her lip, utterly perplexed.

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The Crown Prince’s residence remained calm—for the most part because the Crown Princess herself was away, receiving envoys from the Kingdom of Jin. Jin bordered the north of the Great Zhou, and the two nations often clashed along their shared frontier. The Great Zhou had stood for just over fifty years and was in its prime, most often victorious in conflict. This time, Jin had sent emissaries to discuss peace.

With the Crown Princess absent, those left behind had little to do. Since that day, the Crown Princess Consort hadn’t summoned Ye Cheng. Free from obligations, he spent his time reading and learning about this world—for he had only inherited fragments of his predecessor’s memory, much of it lost. The man before him had come to the Crown Prince’s residence on a mission and must have had an inside contact, but Ye Cheng could no longer recall how to reach them.

“Eunuch Ye, Chief Steward Li has just given orders for you to take a team and unclog the latrines,” a pale, delicate-looking young eunuch hurried over to report.

This young man was one of Ye Cheng’s attendants, named Li Guizhi—whom Ye Cheng simply called Little Gui.

Ye Cheng let out a cold chuckle. Elder Wang had warned him that Chief Steward Li would eventually find an excuse to punish him. Sure enough, the moment had come. Cleaning the latrines had never been his duty.

“Little Gui, go back and tell him I refuse,” Ye Cheng sneered. Now that things had come to a head, there was no point in being polite.

“Ah!” Li Guizhi was taken aback. “Eunuch Ye, if you don’t go, I fear Chief Steward Li will be furious. How about this—I’ll gather the other three eunuchs, and we’ll clean the latrines together. That way, you can report back to the chief steward without trouble.”

“We are all willing to serve you, Eunuch Ye,” the others chimed in.

These four eunuchs were fiercely loyal to Ye Cheng, for he never bullied or punished them as other supervisors did. His kindness and fairness had won their heartfelt gratitude.