The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter

The journey wasn't long, and soon they reached its end, where a sedan chair was already waiting. Liu Qingtang naturally withdrew her hand, and Qin Shu also lowered his hand, tucking it into his sleeve, and stepped back to let Zhuiyi step forward. Zhuiyi, along with two palace maids, stepped forward to help Liu Qingtang into the sedan chair, tidied her skirt, and then lowered the curtain on the sedan chair before stepping to either side of it.

Eight eunuchs, specially assigned to carry the sedan chair, steadily lifted it and headed towards Xiangxue Courtyard. A group of people followed the sedan chair, moving quietly along the long palace path with its red walls and green tiles. The cold winter wind blew in their faces, causing the palace maids and eunuchs to hunch their shoulders and lower their heads.

When they reached an ordinary palace path, Liu Qingtang suddenly realized something, raised her hand and lifted a curtain to look outside. On the other side of the palace wall they were passing was a willow tree, now bare, with a few withered leaves lying on the bluestone path, showing a bit of desolation.

Liu Qingtang gazed at the clean stone slabs, unconsciously searching for Qin Shu's figure. He was beside the sedan chair, walking quietly with his head down and his hands tucked into his sleeves. He was very close to her, close enough for Liu Qingtang to see his lips, slightly bluish from the cold wind. Liu Qingtang silently watched him for a while, then lowered the curtain, sat upright, and closed her eyes to rest.

The palace path lined with willow trees that they had just walked along was the very place where Qin Shu's life had ended in her previous life. She remembered how he looked at her then, his cloudy eyes seemingly filled with countless unspoken thoughts, but he had neither the time nor the will to speak. He simply stared straight at her, perhaps the first time in his life he had ever been so bold.

After spending so much time together, Liu Qingtang seemed to understand Qin Shu's feelings from her previous life. His affection was heavy and desperate; he never considered her response, treating it as his own private matter, hiding it deeply so she wouldn't discover it at all.

Even in this lifetime, after she so clearly expressed her desire, he still couldn't believe it. She clearly longed for it so much, yet hesitated to approach. Ha~ But he was destined not to refuse her. It didn't matter if he couldn't believe it now; she had plenty of time to make him understand her persistence. She, Liu Qingtang, was just as stubborn as him.

Upon seeing the group from afar, the eunuchs guarding the entrance to Xiangxue Courtyard began to announce their arrival. Hearing this announcement, the ladies and young women who had been chatting in groups inside Xiangxue Courtyard fell silent for a moment, then stopped talking and dispersed to their seats, all looking towards the entrance.

The moment Liu Qingtang stepped inside, everyone stood up to greet her, and countless clear and gentle female voices echoed throughout the room. Without glancing at the people who passed by and curtsied, Liu Qingtang went straight to the main seat before calling for everyone to rise.

Having spent over a decade immersed in court politics, Liu Qingtang possessed an inherent, imposing aura. His expressionless seated presence instantly silenced the entire hall. The ladies and young women of each household kept their eyes down, backs straight, focused on the table before them, none daring to steal a glance at Liu Qingtang at this moment.

Liu Qingtang felt quite helpless seeing this situation. These noble ladies and young women were not like the seasoned officials of the court; most of them were pampered like delicate flowers. She was genuinely afraid that even raising her voice might frighten them. However, she was used to putting on this stern and unsmiling demeanor in front of many people. Everyone said that the Empress Dowager was majestic and dignified. If she were to chat with these people gently now, they would probably be even more frightened.

At every banquet, this situation usually lasts for most of the time, only getting better towards the end. Often, Liu Qingtang has to maintain a straight face and wait for these people to get used to it, without easily showing any displeasure or annoyance. Otherwise, if she frowns, these people will become tense for a while, and the entire banquet will be awkward and tense.

Recalling the time when Tao Ye and she mysteriously mentioned the exaggerated rumors circulating among the ladies of Yujing, such as "The Empress Dowager once single-handedly killed the rebellious Prince Xiao Nanhe and more than a dozen ministers with a sword, and didn't even blink when blood splattered all over her body," and "The Empress Dowager hated noise, so she cut off the tongues of more than a hundred palace servants in Cining Palace, and none of them dared to resist," Liu Qingtang really felt a headache coming on.

This stalemate can't go on forever. Liu Qingtang glanced at the sky and said to Taoye, who had come early to prepare, "Let's begin the banquet."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Tao Ye clapped her hands, and two teams of palace maids came in carrying dishes and presented the hot dishes in an orderly manner, while clearing away the pastries on the table.

The sounds of palace maids moving about and the clatter of cups broke the silence of the hall. Liu Qingtang, sitting at the head of the table, could clearly see the movements of everyone below, and naturally saw several ladies and young women, whose expressions had been stiff, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but find it amusing; these people really treated her like a monster.

After the dishes were served, palace maids brought out warmed wine. The wine drunk by the ladies was naturally different from that drunk by the men; it was mostly non-alcoholic fruit and flower wine. The wine used at this plum blossom banquet was brewed last winter using plum blossoms from this courtyard. It was clear in color and had a sweet fragrance.

"This is plum blossom wine picked last winter, brewed with snow water. Please, everyone, have a taste," Liu Qingtang said again, trying to appear more enthusiastic.

This remark made the ladies quite nervous, and they immediately picked up their wine glasses without hesitation. Liu Qingtang even saw a young lady who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. She looked around, afraid of falling behind, and hurriedly picked up her glass and downed a glass of wine in one gulp. As a result, she choked and turned bright red, and could only cover her mouth with a handkerchief, trying her best not to make a sound. Liu Qingtang was worried for her.

The older woman next to her, probably her mother, looked at her anxiously and then cautiously glanced up to see if she, sitting at the head of the table, was angry.

Liu Qingtang pretended not to notice and winked at Taoye behind her. Taoye smiled, understood, and went to have water and tea prepared for the young lady. Then Liu Qingtang noticed that throughout the banquet, the young lady had been looking at her with what she thought was subtle curiosity. In fact, not only that young lady, but also several other ladies and young women who were entering the palace for the first time, were secretly watching her as they gradually calmed down.

So this is what the legendary Empress Dowager is like! Liu Qingtang could clearly see what they were thinking in those pairs of eyes.

Although Liu Qingtang really wanted to pretend she hadn't seen it, in fact, sitting in a high position, she could see every little movement of everyone below her clearly. For example, those ladies and young women who glanced at her and then quickly looked away, but couldn't help but glance at her again a moment later.

They ate in silence until noon, when the dishes, which were almost cold, were taken away. The group then moved from the banquet hall to a courtyard reserved for plum blossom viewing. In that courtyard stood a large square pavilion, open on three sides, surrounded by plum trees planted in a staggered pattern. A breath filled the air with a refreshing fragrance.

The ground was covered with a thick, soft blanket, and several incense burners were burning brightly, with curtains hanging down. So even with the curtains open, it didn't feel cold at all; it was truly a wonderful place to appreciate plum blossoms.

The women visibly relaxed when they arrived at the pavilion surrounded by blooming plum trees. They gathered together to drink tea, eat snacks, and admire the plum blossoms, occasionally whispering to each other, which made the atmosphere more relaxed.

The plum blossom banquet ended at noon. In another half hour, Liu Qingtang had to rush to Mingguang Hall to attend a luncheon with the emperor to reward the officials. She was able to rest briefly during this break.

"Qin Shu, do you think I look scary?" Only she and Qin Shu were left in the hall. Liu Qingtang leaned back in her chair and had Qin Shu massage her neck. Suddenly, she said in a low voice.

Qin Shu recalled the attitude of the women towards the Empress Dowager throughout the banquet, and the Empress Dowager's slightly depressed appearance, and found himself wanting to laugh. While massaging her neck, he earnestly comforted her, saying, "Your Majesty doesn't look scary at all."

Hearing this, Liu Qingtang eagerly awaited his next words, such as "Your Majesty is not only not frightening, but also extremely beautiful and charming," but he didn't continue for a long time. Liu Qingtang couldn't help but turn her head to look at him. Qin Shu was kneading the clay seriously, and when he noticed that the Empress Dowager was looking at him with a very strange look, he returned a puzzled look.

"Your Majesty, is there anything you need?" he asked hesitantly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingtang smirked and turned her head away. Qin Shu had always been so tactless; she was used to it.

At this moment, Zhuiyi walked in carrying a food box. She placed the food box on the table, took out a bowl of Eight Treasures Porridge, and said, "Master, please eat something. You didn't eat much at the banquet because it was inconvenient for you."

Zhuiyi placed the porridge in front of Liu Qingtang and then took out a warm, damp towel. "Please wipe your lips with lip rouge first, so you can have some porridge with it. We'll replenish the lip rouge later."

Liu Qingtang took the wet wipe and said, "I know, Zhuiyi, you should go down and eat something and rest for a while. There's still a long wait ahead."

Zhuiyi initially wanted to refuse, but after glancing at Qin Shu, she felt as if she understood her master's true intentions. Thinking that she shouldn't disturb her master's good time, she obediently withdrew.

Liu Qingtang understood Zhuiyi's expression and couldn't help but reflect on whether she often did such things, which was why Zhuiyi and Taoye often misunderstood her. Last time, she and Qin Shu kissed in the garden, and Zhuiyi secretly came to ask her if she needed hot water and ointment.

She hadn't thought that much about it at first, but seeing Zhuiyi's gaze, Liu Qingtang suddenly felt that this was actually a good time to do something. Looking at the wet wipe in her hand that she was supposed to use to wipe off her lip gloss, Liu Qingtang smiled and casually put it aside.

"Qin Shu, come here~"

Satisfied with applying all her lipstick to Qin Shu's lips, Liu Qingtang saw his stiff and resigned expression and felt a strong urge to apply more lipstick and smear it all over Qin Shu's face. If she actually did that, Qin Shu's expression would probably be even more interesting.

The mere thought of Qin Shu's stiff, smeared face made Liu Qingtang eager to act. Unfortunately, she remembered that time was limited, so she had to regretfully put the idea aside for the time being.

But there's plenty of time, isn't there? Liu Qingtang smiled, her eyes narrowing. "Qin Shu, come here, let me clean it for you~"

Author's Note: I noticed a sudden drop in comments _(:3∠)_ Are you scared to love me?! Tell me, look into my pure eyes and tell me from the bottom of your heart, are you scared to love me?! [Holding her chest and shaking her head, she screams, "Hey, don't do this, you'll lose followers!"] But do I really have any followers?

Another landmine was thrown.

Season 12 threw a landmine

[Thanks for the landmines~ They're all familiar girls~ I'm practically your personal collection now~ o(￣e￣*)]