The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 28

She was busy from the first day of the Lunar New Year until the tenth, offering sacrifices to ancestors and heaven. She could only sleep for two hours a day, and in just a few days, the Empress Dowager had lost a lot of weight. (For more text, please search on Baidu.) Because it was the New Year, the food prepared by the palace servants was mostly greasy. After eating so much, Liu Qingtang looked at the food with a bit of listlessness.

Typically, following the Empress Dowager's custom, a large table of dishes would be served, but she would only take a few bites before ordering them to be taken away and given to the servants below. If Liu Qingtang hadn't been unwilling to overstep boundaries and get bogged down in such trivial matters, she probably would have simply disregarded the palace rules established over the years and canceled all three meals during the first month of the lunar year.

Tao Ye and Zhui Yi were especially worried at this time, so they asked the chefs at Cining Palace to cook some light soups and porridges, and then, whenever they had a chance to rest, they would urge the Empress Dowager to eat more. Liu Qingtang wore that heavy and cumbersome outfit all day long, stopping and starting to kowtow and pray. When she was exhausted, she would sit there and not want to move. Even if she was hungry, she was unwilling to eat much. Only when urged by Tao Ye and Zhui Yi would she eat a couple of bites perfunctorily.

She was used to it being the same every year, but this year, with Qin Shu added, the situation changed somewhat. Originally, with only Tao Ye and Zhui Yi, Liu Qingtang only needed to put in a little effort, frowning and putting on a refusing face, to make them shake their heads and retreat helplessly. After all, they never intended to force their mistress.

But Qin Shu was different. This guy, I don't know where he got his stubbornness from, would always find a moment to bring her porridge or soup if he saw she wasn't eating much, much more proactive than Tao Ye and Zhui Yi. If she said she couldn't eat, he wouldn't say anything, silently retreating, but he'd come back to bring her food again after only a short while. If she pretended to be angry, he'd immediately apologize, as if his knees wouldn't hurt. It was as if he could punish a servant, but she absolutely had to eat.

Liu Qingtang was amused by his words. Since her rebirth, she had never spoken harshly to him, let alone hit or scolded him. What could she do? She could just eat and drink as usual. As long as she ate the same amount as usual, Qin Shu would calm down.

Reluctantly, Liu Qingtang took the bowl of white fungus and lotus seed porridge that Qin Shu had brought her and ate it spoonful by spoonful. Halfway through, she felt she really didn't want to eat anymore and wanted to refuse, but when she suddenly looked up and saw Qin Shu secretly relieved because she had eaten the porridge, and a look of joy on his face, which had become much thinner, she felt she couldn't say it and could only silently drink the porridge like water.

While drinking her porridge, Liu Qingtang drifted off into thought, recalling her past life. Back then, Qin Shu wasn't close to her. At times like this, all he would do was subtly distract Zhuiyi and Taoye, giving them time to persuade her to eat more. Because she disliked it, he didn't dare approach her directly, and his attempts to care for her were always roundabout.

Ironically, when she discovered this back then, her first reaction was to suspect that Qin Shu wanted to seize Tao Ye Zhuiyi's power and become the sole ruler of Cining Palace. Liu Qingtang suddenly felt strange. Why was she like a blind person in her past life? She couldn't see Qin Shu's silent care and concern, nor could she see his thin body from overwork as he did so many things alone.

She had always thought the person with ulterior motives actually asked for nothing in return, offering their heart to her without reservation. Meanwhile, the so-called relative she had always trusted, the emperor's nephew, turned out to be the one with the most hidden agenda.

"Qin Shu... bring me another bowl." Feeling a lump in her throat for some reason, Liu Qingtang turned her face away and said.

"Your Highness has a good appetite today." Qin Shu was indeed very happy to hear her say that. Although his expression didn't change, Liu Qingtang could tell that his voice was full of joy.

He seemed to be able to make happy easily whenever it was about her, even though some of these things were just the most ordinary things in Liu Qingtang's eyes.

On the fifteenth, Liu Qingtang decided to return to the Liu family.

The news that the Empress Dowager, who hadn't returned home to visit her family in five years since entering the palace, was going to visit the Liu family had sparked a variety of speculations. Although it seemed like an ordinary visit, there were many different reasons why the Empress Dowager suddenly wanted to go back, whether it was related to the recent incident involving Grand Secretary Feng, and whether the Empress Dowager would discuss something privately with Duke Liu... These were just some of the many guesses that followed.

Regardless of what others thought, Liu Qingtang went directly to the young emperor and told him that she wanted to return to the Liu family home for a visit, and that she would forgo all the elaborate ceremonial processions, only taking some palace maids, eunuchs, and guards with her. The young emperor naturally could not refuse, and even though he felt that her decision not to have a ceremonial procession was somewhat inappropriate, he could not resist her insistence.

Even the emperor couldn't say anything, and the two chief ministers smiled and remained silent, so naturally no one would be foolish enough to say anything. Only a few old fogies muttered a few words about how this was against etiquette and ancestral rules, but of course, they only dared to mutter in their hearts and dared not speak it aloud.

Didn't you see how last time a certain official was stripped of his official rank and thrown out just for saying something the Empress Dowager didn't like? It's really not worth losing an official rank that you've worked so hard for decades over something so trivial. Right now, the Empress Dowager is the only one in the court, who dares to offend her?

Liu Qingtang rested well at Cining Palace for two days, and then it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, when the streets were bustling with activity. After leaving the palace, Liu Qingtang's carriage traveled a long way before entering the common people's neighborhood. The lively shouts and laughter coming from outside the carriage made Liu Qingtang feel instantly transported back to the human world. These familiar sounds of everyday life were unheard of from within the high palace walls.

Liu Qingtang leaned against the carriage wall, not lifting the curtain, but listening intently to the sounds outside. The satisfied expression on her face made Zhuiyi, Taoye, and Qin Shu, who sat opposite her, happy for her.

Because she didn't want to cause a disturbance to the people, she didn't use a procession of thousands of people to clear the way. Instead, a few carriages carried her and some palace maids and eunuchs. A troop of guards on horseback protected the area, making it seem no different from an ordinary official's wife traveling. In fact, many officials' wives did go to offer incense on the fifteenth of the month, so their carriages didn't attract much attention as they passed through the bustling streets, allowing Liu Qingtang to hear the long-lost lively shouts and cries.

Liu Qingtang remained silent throughout the journey, perhaps due to nervousness at the approach of home. She even forgot some of the things she had planned to say to her father and brother.

She's been in the palace for five or six years now, and hasn't returned to the Liu family even once, whereas in her previous life she was in the palace for fifteen years without ever returning. At first, it was because she didn't want to, then it was because she didn't dare, and finally it was because she couldn't.

She had longed for and missed the home where she spent her childhood and adolescence for more than a decade, and it remained exactly as it was when she first entered the palace.

There were two majestic stone lions at the entrance. She once thought of climbing up them when no one was looking, but she fell as soon as she reached the base, hitting her head on the ground and getting a big bump. Then, amidst her cries, her father, unmoved, used his large hands, coated with medicated wine, to gently push the bump away. The pain made her afraid to go near those two stone lions again.

Upon entering the Liu residence, Liu Qingtang did not send anyone to announce her arrival. Instead, she instructed Taoye Zhuiyi to arrange accommodations for the palace maids and eunuchs, and ordered guards to stand watch outside the residence. She herself, accompanied only by Qin Shu, walked confidently into a certain courtyard.

Actually, she had only just finished breakfast, but she had sent word earlier that she would arrive in the afternoon. She deliberately sent this message so her father and brother wouldn't have to wait for her at the door. She was going home; why make such a fuss? But she knew her father wouldn't listen to her, so this was the only way she could do it.

Upon entering the Liu residence, Liu Qingtang couldn't help but stride faster, her anxious demeanor making it seem as if the person who had been feeling apprehensive about returning home on the carriage wasn't her at all. Taoye and Zhuiyi, who were practically part of the hostess, were sent by Liu Qingtang to organize the gifts and arrange the staff, leaving only Qin Shu to follow behind.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager was like a bird released from its cage, her steps light and graceful, causing her skirt to flutter slightly. She was a far cry from the composed and dignified woman she was in the palace; she seemed more like a young girl. Following behind her, Qin Shu felt himself sharing in her joy.

"elder brother!"

As soon as Liu Qingtang entered Yizhu Courtyard, she saw a familiar figure standing there with his back to her, reading a book with one hand behind his back. She choked up and cried out as she rushed over.

Liu Qingrong was lost in thought, reading a book and wondering what his sister, whom he hadn't seen for years, looked like now, when he heard a "Brother!" from behind, followed by someone pressing down on him. Caught off guard, he was nearly knocked over. Although he almost fell over due to his dazed state, Liu Qingrong immediately relaxed. Her shameless act of clinging to her brother's back and acting spoiled showed that his silly sister was still the same silly sister.

"At least you've come back to see your brother." Liu Qingrong sighed, straightened up, and scooped his younger sister down from behind.

"I just arrived. I came here first without even seeing my father~" Liu Qingtang blinked hard to wipe the tears from her eyes and smiled with her eyes narrowed.

Before Liu Qingrong could answer, another person walked in. "I guessed right, Qingtang arrived just in time."

Liu Qingtang turned around and smiled when she saw the person who had come: "Sushu, you're here too!"

“She arrived yesterday and stayed here overnight, waiting for you.” Liu Qingrong said, trying to get Liu Qingtang and Yang Sushu to sit down. “Don’t stand, sit down and have a good talk. Your brother has a lot to tell you.”

"Don't rush, I'm going to Dad right away. I'll come back to listen to your nagging after I've talked to him." Liu Qingtang said, then pulled Qin Shu out from the corner and brought him in front of his brother and friend. "Qin Shu is in your care during this time. You must take good care of him."

Yang Sushu had seen Qin Shu before and had long guessed the relationship between the two. She simply smiled and remained silent. Meanwhile, Liu's brother, looking at Qin Shu dressed as a eunuch, asked his sister with some confusion, "Who is this…?"

“Brother, do you remember what you told me when we were little? That if we ever found that person, we would bring him back to you to see.”

Liu Qingrong looked Qin Shu up and down again, then her smile faded and she asked seriously, "Are you serious?"

"of course."

Upon receiving this answer, Liu Qingrong smiled, his expression showing no disagreement but rather some relief. "When you entered the palace years ago, I thought this promise would never be fulfilled. I never expected to hear you say this today. That's good. As long as you are happy, I will help you."

Liu Qingtang left with a light heart, leaving Qin Shu completely bewildered and feeling uneasy under the gaze of the two people in front of him.

These two men—one a favored brother of the Empress Dowager, and the other, Physician Yang, whom he had been jealous of for many years, only to discover later that she was actually a woman, a close friend of the Empress Dowager—were both far more important to the Empress Dowager than he was. Therefore, he absolutely could not say or do anything wrong. Qin Shu was thinking this anxiously when Liu Qingrong's first words startled him.

"Qin Shu, right? I'm Liu Qingrong. You can call me brother, just like Qingtang does."

“When I was little, I told my silly little sister that if she ever met someone she wanted to marry, she would bring that person back to show her brother. And today, she brought you to me.”

The author has something to say: Qin Shu, I want to marry you, no matter what you look like. [Suddenly feeling a little heartbroken]

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