The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 18

"Is he jealous of Su Shu, which is why he looks like he doesn't want to see her?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shu was speechless, choked by the Empress Dowager's shamelessness. He clutched the storybook for a long time before finally managing a dry explanation: "This is... a sentence from a storybook."

Qin Shu's attempt to cover up his feelings and his avoidance of looking at her only made Liu Qingtang feel more pleased. Recalling a word that male protagonists in those stories often used, Liu Qingtang coughed, threw back the covers, sat at the foot of the bed, and said to Qin Shu with a smile, "Little vixen, tell me if you're jealous."

Qin Shu was startled by her words, his expression momentarily indescribable, whether from her calling him a "little vixen," the implication of her words, or both. However, he quickly recovered and reverted to his usual dull and gloomy demeanor.

"This servant is of lowly status and would not dare to have such an offensive thought to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."

How could being jealous be offensive? Is this guy really that dutiful? Come to think of it, he protected her for so many years in her past life without ever crossing the line. However, Qin Shu's dutiful conduct and refusal to overstep the boundaries only piqued Liu Qingtang's interest further. She wanted to see if Qin Shu could truly stay within the bounds of his heart.

Regardless of whether it was due to inferiority or other reasons, since she had already decided that Qin Shu was hers for life, she would force Qin Shu to cross that line on his own.

Liu Qingtang thought for a moment, then took another step closer. Recalling certain scenes from the storybook, she lifted Qin Shu's chin with one hand and said, "Little vixen, stop being unreasonable." Still feeling it wasn't enough, she added, "You're so jealous, what am I supposed to do with you!"

She asked Zhuiyi to find her many storybooks to read, and it was indeed very effective. At least in terms of teasing Qin Shu, she felt increasingly adept at it, and the Empress Dowager, feeling quite good, was filled with confidence.

But Qin Shu was speechless. Although he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but look up at the person in front of him. Was the person who spoke those words truly the Empress Dowager?

When Qin Shu met the Empress Dowager's smiling eyes, his eyelashes fluttered and he lowered his gaze again. However, because Liu Qingtang was dressed in thin, loose clothing, and because she had gone through a lot of trouble herself, Qin Shu could just make out the faint white undergarment and a... cleavage when he lowered his eyes.

Qin Shu's first reaction was to quickly look away, but because he was so flustered, he made a lot of noise, and the Empress Dowager noticed his movements. So when Liu Qingtang looked down and saw that her clothes were a little open, blinked and realized what Qin Shu had done, she smiled wickedly and then reached out to untie the ties of her bodice.

"Qin Shu, look."

People are like that; when they suddenly hear their name called, they will subconsciously look over. So, before Qin Shu could dispel the thought of the groove he had just seen in his mind, he was stunned by what appeared in front of him after turning his head.

The Empress Dowager held a plain white bodice embroidered with a few small willow leaves. Judging from the commotion just now, she must have just taken it off, so the Empress Dowager was only wearing a thin silk undergarment, the neckline of which was clearly visible, as well as two certain areas... Qin Shu silently turned his face back to the bed.

Liu Qingtang noticed the barely concealed blush beneath his ears, and the corners of her mouth widened until she finally chuckled. While laughing, she patted Qin Shu's shoulder and said, "Qin Shu, are you sure you only glanced twice to get a clear look? I only did this to comfort you because you were jealous. Want to take a few more glances? I'll allow you to look; this opportunity doesn't come often~"

"No... I won't look... No... I was saying, I dare not..." Qin Shu stammered, staring intently at the inside of the bed, almost staring a hole through it.

After laughing enough, Liu Qingtang turned over and sat on the inside, right next to Qin Shu. Seeing that he was about to turn his head again, Liu Qingtang chuckled and turned his face towards her. "Okay, okay, I'll just cover myself with the blanket. Why are you turning around like that? Don't you want to see me?"

"Alright, stop kneeling. I won't punish you. You can sit down."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant thanks you." Qin Shu carefully changed from a kneeling to a sitting position. Because the Empress Dowager was sitting next to him, he unconsciously softened his breathing. He sat there with his body straight, trying his best not to touch the Empress Dowager, appearing timid and hesitant.

Liu Qingtang couldn't stand his awkward posture, so she directly pressed his legs down to straighten them, then pulled the blanket off herself to cover him, and pressed his hands down on the blanket.

So the two of them sat side by side at the foot of the bed, covered by the same blanket.

After being positioned, Qin Shu didn't dare to move, just staring blankly at the quilt that had bulged out into two bundles. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder; the Empress Dowager had leaned her head against him.

"Hey, Qin Shu, are you jealous of Su Shu today?"

Qin Shu still didn't know how to answer, but Liu Qingtang didn't expect him to. She continued, "I've known her since we were little. We're very good friends. We used to whisper to each other in our sleep when we were kids."

Qin Shu didn't say anything, but he felt a surge of bitterness in his heart, which made his mouth taste bitter.

“She was very quiet and obedient when she was little. In everyone’s eyes, she was a well-behaved child. At a young age, she started reading medical books and recognizing medicinal herbs because of her family situation. But I was different. I loved to be naughty and mischievous. In my dad’s words, I had a lot of bad ideas. I felt that Sushu didn’t like reading those things all day, so from childhood to adulthood, I would always drag her along when I did something naughty in order to make her happy.”

“When I was little, I took her to the Lantern Festival. The two of us almost got lost on the street. Later, I took her hand and stopped the soldiers on night patrol by the roadside and asked them to take us home. When we got home, I almost got beaten by my father. I also secretly took her to pick lotus flowers in our family’s lotus pond. As a result, she accidentally fell in. I rushed to pull her up and was pulled in as well. In the end, we rolled around in the mud and climbed up, scaring everyone in the house. Also, when my sister was going to enter the palace, I was angry that my father and brother hadn’t stopped her. I also felt that my sister didn’t want me anymore, so I asked Sushu and me to dig earthworms and secretly put them in my father’s, brother’s and sister’s shoes while they were taking a nap. The maids didn’t notice at all.”

“My father often scolded me, but he never hit me. However, he was really angry that time. My older brother and sister couldn’t stop him. He beat me so badly that I was bedridden for a whole day. That day, I was lying in bed eating sunflower seeds, and Sushu was peeling sunflower seeds for me while she cried. She was always like that when she was little, both a crybaby and a coward.”

As Liu Qingtang spoke, a hint of melancholy appeared on her face. Perhaps she was getting old, and had begun to enjoy reminiscing about these things over and over again. Or perhaps being by Qin Shu's side made her feel exceptionally at ease, and she unconsciously wanted to tell him about those things. Sharing those happy moments with someone was like reliving them all over again, and it always made her feel happy and nostalgic.

Actually, many, many years have passed, but she still occasionally dreams about those scenes.

Or perhaps she dreamt of when she was very young, on a summer afternoon, hiding in the flowers with Su Shu, and accidentally falling asleep until sunset, causing the servants to search for her all afternoon; or perhaps she dreamt of her father holding her hand for the first time to teach her to write, and then, after letting go, seeing that her hand was red from being squeezed, he panicked and tried to apply medicine to it; or perhaps she dreamt of her brother buying her candied hawthorns, but causing her to get an upset stomach and be scolded by her father, while she watched anxiously from the side, and her brother secretly winked at her to indicate that he was alright; or perhaps she dreamt of her sister gently combing her hair, singing to her as she did so, the melody as melodious as a lark's.

She remembered every single one of those things exceptionally clearly, but for the dozen or so years after she entered the palace, she couldn't remember many things very clearly. She only felt that for many years afterward, every single day was the same, without any deviation or exception, just circling around this palace at the exact same time.

The feeling of caring about everyone's gaze and forcing herself into a person bound by rules and regulations was extremely unpleasant, and she never wanted to repeat that kind of life from her previous life.

Like an old lady reminiscing about the past, Liu Qingtang remembered her original intention. Originally, she only said these things to tease Qin Shu and see his jealous reaction, but before she knew it, her thoughts had wandered off again.

So she continued, steer the conversation toward Su Shu, and said with a casual smile, "When Su Shu was very young, she loved to stick to me. She even said that she wanted to stay with me when she grew up. If it weren't for some things that happened later, she probably would have stayed at my house forever."

Qin Shu felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her. Imperial Physician Yang had been with the Empress Dowager since childhood, witnessing her every stage of her life and sharing countless experiences with her. The phrase "childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree" perfectly described their relationship.

If the Empress Dowager weren't the Empress Dowager, perhaps they would be together. A refined and elegant man like Physician Yang would certainly be more suitable standing beside her. Realizing this, Qin Shu was heartbroken and didn't know what to do. There's nothing more painful than knowing clearly that the person you hold dear is better suited to someone else.

Qin Shu found that besides the soreness in his heart, he also felt a little bit of relief. He was relieved that the Empress Dowager had entered the palace; otherwise, he probably would never have seen her in his life, let alone been so close to her and heard her speak like this.

But when Qin Shu thought about how rarely the Empress Dowager was happy, it was all because she couldn't be with Physician Yang, and he felt that this sense of relief had taken on a different meaning.

For a man like him to feel fortunate about something like this only reveals his despicable nature. There's no way he could possibly have anything going on with the Empress Dowager. Even now, sitting so close to her, he dares not make the slightest movement, fearing he might be disliked for doing something wrong. This anxiety grows stronger as the Empress Dowager treats him better and better. Perhaps he doesn't even have the right to be jealous of Physician Yang.

"Your Majesty, do you like Physician Yang very much?" Perhaps it was because the atmosphere was too peaceful, but Qin Shu couldn't help but ask for the first time. As soon as he opened his mouth, he realized that he had overstepped his bounds, but the words were already out. In fact, he knew that no matter what, the answer would be yes. He insisted on asking only to make himself more aware of his true identity.

Liu Qingtang originally wanted to answer that she liked him, but looking at Qin Shu's expression beside her, for some reason, she blurted out, "Su Shu is my best confidante. She's a girl, so don't be jealous."

Qin Shu reacted and looked at her in shock. Liu Qingtang touched her nose and pinched his arm, muttering somewhat dejectedly, "It's hard to explain in a short time, but just know this much, and be careful not to let anything slip."

It would actually be best if she didn't tell him, but if it was Qin Shu, she was willing to believe him. Besides, she didn't know why, seeing the look in his eyes just now, she suddenly felt like telling him. Seeing that Qin Shu didn't react for a long time, Liu Qingtang pinched him again, "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, this servant understands," Qin Shu replied softly, snapping out of his reverie. At that moment, he felt very happy.

Liu Qingtang glanced at him in surprise. This guy's smile was really... stiff. Maybe he needed more practice to make it look more natural. But even as she thought that, she couldn't help but smile herself.

Author's Note: [Last time I updated two chapters, chapters sixteen and seventeen, all at once. Did you ladies miss them? Otherwise, what's with the weird number of clicks? _(:3∠)_]

Sylvie threw a landmine

The cheeky Shanpu Rabbit threw a landmine

Chen Li threw a landmine

Another landmine was thrown.

Please don't be careless, Mr. Sa, go ahead and throw a landmine.

Fengjian Ziyun threw a landmine

[Thank you to the girl who threw the grenade, please accept my love kiss~ (づ￣3￣)づ]