The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 32

“Yes, Father, you heard me right, it’s exactly what you think. (◎◎x◎s◎.o◎r◎g◎) Baidu search URL, remember to remove the ◎, dear? wx?.σrg? (Dear, for more text content, please search on Baidu)” Liu Qingtang said, and personally served Liu Shaodi a bowl of soup, saying, “This soup is good, I haven’t had it for years, Aunt Wang’s cooking is still so good.” She was calm as if she couldn’t see her father’s face, which had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Liu Shaodi hadn't laughed in decades, but now he was almost brought to tears by his youngest daughter. He looked at the bowl of soup with an itchy hand, almost unable to resist the urge to smash it to the ground, but he moved his hand and then put it down, looking even angrier.

How could he not be angry? His youngest daughter, the Empress Dowager's youngest daughter, had just told him that she had fallen in love with a eunuch.

Liu Shaodi didn't know whether he was angry at his daughter for doing such a thing as the Empress Dowager, or for her taking a fancy to a eunuch. Or perhaps he was angry at her nonchalant attitude; look at her now, leisurely drinking soup, without any expression of worry or anxiety.

Shouldn't she be anxiously fighting for her so-called love right now? Shouldn't she be dragging that eunuch of hers to kneel before him and begging for his forgiveness?! But thinking about it this way, if his daughter really did that, he would probably be even angrier. Realizing this, Liu Shaodi was so frustrated and upset that he was practically spitting fire.

His eldest daughter was one thing; she and the late emperor were in love and she wanted to enter the palace, and nothing could stop them. Later, from the time his youngest daughter turned ten, he worried every day that she too would be lured away by some sweet-talking scoundrel. He would even try to intimidate any man who got too close to her. Despite all his precautions, he managed to keep those men with ulterior motives away from his daughter, but before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, she was summoned to the palace by the late emperor.

So, although the late emperor was a competent ruler, he was definitely the emperor Liu Shaodi hated the most. Regardless, he had at least breathed a sigh of relief after his daughter entered the palace. In his view, no man worthy of his daughter had appeared, so it was better for her to stay in the palace; his daughter herself thought so too. But now, after so many years of peace of mind, this guy suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He wasn't satisfied with any of those healthy, intelligent, and wealthy men, so how could he possibly be satisfied with a eunuch being with his daughter? If it weren't for lunch, Liu Shaodi would have stood up and paced around restlessly.

He could still maintain some composure when Liu Qingtang talked to him about those things, but now he had lost all composure. What he wanted to do most was to find that eunuch right now and give him a good beating. The dangerous situation of the Liu family and the war with Zhou Kingdom in a year were nothing compared to the importance of "his daughter being tricked by a worthless fellow" in a father's eyes at this moment.

Because Liu Qingtang had said that the family should have a quiet lunch, the maids who were serving the food left after bringing out the dishes. Now, only Liu Qingtang, her father and son, and Yang Sushu, who was like half a daughter to the Liu family, were present.

Liu Qingrong, the elder brother of the Liu family, and Yang Sushu, who already knew about and accepted the matter, remained unusually calm, eating their meals as usual. Liu Qingtang, as the person involved, was equally indifferent. Only Liu Shaodi, the father of the Liu family, who had always been serious and composed, was extremely anxious.

Seeing that the three juniors below were not intimidated by his displeased expression and no one asked him what he thought, Liu Shaodi finally couldn't hold back and slammed the chopsticks on the table with a loud bang.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"

Liu Qingtang, Liu Qingrong, and Yang Sushu immediately put down their chopsticks and adopted serious expressions. Father Liu was quite terrifying when he was angry; at least none of the three wanted to be taken to the training ground to be beaten by him.

"Tell me, what exactly is the reason you would do such a thing with a eunuch!"

Without hesitation, Liu Qingtang replied, "Because he died for me without hesitation." This was indeed her initial reason for wanting to be with Qin Shu, but now, it was more about liking him; that reason was secondary.

Liu Qingrong and Yang Sushu, unaware of her rebirth, simply assumed she meant that Qin Shu was willing to die for her. Considering Qin Shu's almost godlike devotion to his younger sister, they both nodded in agreement.

Knowing everything, Liu Shaodi instantly understood that Qin Shu must have sacrificed himself for his daughter in his previous life. From this perspective, as Qingtang's father, he should thank Qin Shu, and he was at a loss for how to continue questioning him.

But it was impossible for him to accept this so easily. He quickly added, "If that's the case, we can give him other things. As long as the Liu family can afford it, you can bestow upon him anything precious."

"What could be more precious than me?" Liu Qingtang asked, tilting her head back in feigned surprise.

Liu Shaodi was speechless at her words and her deliberately feigned surprise. He slammed his calloused hand heavily on the table. "In short, I disagree! How could you... a eunuch..."

Her father emphasized Qin Shu's status as a eunuch, not the fact that she had committed such a scandalous act in the palace; she wondered if he himself was even aware of this. Liu Qingtang couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, casually replying, "Aren't there only eunuchs in the palace?"

Liu Qingtang had long been aware that her father disapproved of her being with a eunuch, but she also knew that her father loved her dearly and would eventually compromise. Although she felt it was wrong to pressure her father, she was determined to fight tooth and nail for what she wanted, especially since it was something she rarely desired.

"If I say no, then no!" Liu Shaodi said firmly without arguing with her.

Liu Qingtang sighed inwardly, realizing that her father would not agree as easily as her brother. Then, she lowered her head, feigning sadness, and said softly, "Father, are you really willing to let your daughter be all alone in the harem until she dies within those palace walls?"

Liu Shaodi, of course, couldn't bear it. He never intended for his daughter to remain a widow for the late emperor in the palace for decades. Even though he had always been a serious and rigid person, deep down he was still a father who wanted to give his daughter all the best things in life, and when it came to his daughter, he always had to go against some of his own beliefs. For example, today, if the man his daughter told him she liked was normal and could bring her happiness, he wouldn't be so resistant.

He didn't look down on eunuchs; after all, they were just physically disabled, no different from those who lost limbs on the battlefield. But as a father, how could he tolerate his excellent daughter being with someone with a disability? And his biggest worry was, if his daughter's feelings were just a passing fancy, how far could she go with Qin Shu? If she only wanted to thank Qin Shu, then once Qing Tang grew tired of him, their relationship would break down.

Furthermore, there's Qing Tang's current situation in the palace, and the path she's chosen is destined to be fraught with danger and instability. As her father, he hopes his daughter will have someone by her side to protect her and shield her from harm, but is that little eunuch up to the task?

"Qingrong, go and call Qin Shu over." Since his daughter wouldn't listen to him, he would try to deal with her from another angle. Liu Shaodi said with a stern face.

Liu Qingrong glanced at his father and then at his sister, touched his nose and stood up. "I'll go right now." From childhood to adulthood, he had always been caught in the middle between his father and sister, which had always been a difficult situation for him.

Although Liu Qingtang was somewhat worried after hearing this, she believed that Qin Shu would not disappoint her father, nor that her father would do anything to the person she liked. Therefore, she appeared calm and sat in her seat waiting for Qin Shu's arrival.

Qin Shu had finished his lunch and was in the study of the Begonia Pavilion, where the Empress Dowager had once lived. When Liu Qingrong found him, he was reading a military book that Liu Qingtang had annotated.

Upon hearing that Duke Liu wanted to see him, Qin Shu was initially taken aback, but then he understood. Perhaps, like with his uncle and the others that morning, the Empress Dowager had directly spoken to the Duke about their affairs, which was why the Duke wanted him to go. Thinking this, Qin Shu felt somewhat helpless, but mostly touched. Even though he could stay by the Empress Dowager's side, he had never dared to hope for approval from her family. The Empress Dowager's insistence was to put his mind at ease.

"My dad isn't as open-minded as I am, Qin Shu, you'd better be prepared to get a beating." Liu Qingrong patted Qin Shu's shoulder, deliberately trying to scare him with a worried look on her face. But she wasn't worried at all. With his sister around, how could Qin Shu possibly get a beating?

Liu Qingrong silently thought that it wouldn't be bad if his father could give Qin Shu a beating. He wanted to be an open-minded older brother, but that didn't mean he wasn't unhappy about his sister becoming someone else's. His father couldn't bear to part with his daughter, so how could he, as her brother,? Of course, he wouldn't say that it was precisely because he knew his father was waiting for Qin Shu that he had accepted the situation so easily that morning. Sigh, the two men in their family always had to play the good cop and the bad cop. His father, with his cold face, always seemed to be playing the villain.

Qin Shu closed the book in his hand and put it back on the bookshelf. Hearing this, he nodded seriously and said, "Yes, no matter what, it's only right that he gets a beating." After all, he took someone else's treasure.

As soon as the two returned to the dining room, before Liu Shaodi could even get angry at Qin Shu, Liu Qingtang beckoned to Qin Shu and pointed at him, saying, "Qin Shu, call him father."

Qin Shu could easily tell that the Duke was furious, so, unusually, he disregarded the Empress Dowager's words and respectfully greeted him. "Qin Shu greets the Duke."

Liu Shaodi instinctively wanted to find fault with Qin Shu, so without thinking, he said with dissatisfaction, "Qingtang told you to call me that, but you didn't. You're looking down on me, kid!"

"Pfft~" Yang Sushu, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but laugh out loud. This earned her a glare from Liu Shaodi.

By now, Liu Shaodi understood perfectly well that he had fallen for his daughter's provocation, and his face was so cold it could have been covered in frost. Then he noticed his son smirking, so Liu Shaodi threw a cup at him with a backhand motion.

The cup jolted him so hard his hands went numb, and upon closer inspection, he saw cracks on it. Liu Qingrong sighed inwardly. The men of the Liu family were worthless; ten of them couldn't compare to even one of his sisters. No wonder they were taking their anger out on him. Long accustomed to this preferential treatment, Liu Qingrong, with the appearance of a frail scholar, smiled and took the cup back to his seat.

“Father, I know what you’re worried about, but I’m serious. You love Mother so much. What would have happened to Mother if Grandpa hadn’t agreed to her being with you? And what would have happened to you?” Liu Qingtang quietly pulled Qin Shu, who was standing beside her, and said to Liu Shaodi.

Liu Shaodi naturally noticed his daughter's subtle actions and felt a pang of heartache. Yet, he couldn't refute her words; if it were Bai Yan, she would have acted the same way, for the two were practically identical. Thinking of his deceased wife, Liu Shaodi's heart softened.

Seeing that his attitude had softened, Liu Qingtang continued, "I will explain the matter of Qin Shu to you and Father. Then you will understand why I made this choice."

Liu Shaodi snorted, stood up with a cold face, and walked away. Without turning his head, he called out at the door, "Qingrong, come to the study with me."

"Father wouldn't be so angry as to lecture me in the study, would he?" Liu Qingrong shook his head and sighed, stood up, dusted off his robe, and then gave his sister a reproachful look: "Brother has to clean up your mess again."

"Thank you for your hard work, brother~" Liu Qingtang smiled and waved to see him off. She naturally knew that her father wanted to tell her brother about her rebirth, and once her brother found out, he would probably nag her endlessly.

"The last time I saw you and Uncle Liu like this was a few years ago. I really miss it." Yang Sushu said, then stood up and looked at Liu Qingtang holding Qin Shu's hand. She smiled and said, "Prince Chun and Consort Lian also moved out of the palace and into their residence outside the palace today. You told me last time that you were going to visit Consort Lian. I'll take this opportunity to go today. I'll be leaving now."

Liu Qingtang still remembered that Consort Lian had sent that palace maid to find Qin Shu. She wanted to tell Yang Sushu not to go, but she felt that Consort Lian was just overly concerned for her son. She had already punished the palace maid and made her guard Qinghuai Palace in the palace, so she couldn't keep pressing the matter. She could only acquiesce to her friend's departure.

After everyone had left, Liu Qingtang looked up at Qin Shu and said, "Father has agreed. Don't be fooled by his dramatic departure; he just tacitly approved but was too embarrassed to say it outright. Um, to calm your nerves, I'll take you to see the lanterns tonight~"

Author's Note: [This is the second update today. Did you girls who clicked in after seeing the latest update miss the previous chapter? _(:3∠)_]

Wife, I like you throwing a landmine

Aqing threw a landmine

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

Dreaming of the Western Zhou Dynasty_yusa_controlled threw a landmine

Pianhong threw a landmine

AA threw a grenade

Thanks to the landmine and grenade girls~ Hugs~