The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter

To reunite her capable assistant and friend Wei Zheng, and the daughter of Minister Wu—two lovers whose relationship ended tragically in their past lives—Liu Qingtang organized a garden party to enjoy the blooming apricot blossoms, inviting ladies from various families and unmarried young ladies over nine years old to admire the flowers. (For more details, please search on Baidu.)

The moment this age restriction was announced, everyone speculated that the Empress Dowager was preparing to select concubines for the Emperor to serve, or even to find an Empress in advance. Some families were overjoyed while others were worried. Some, hoping to elevate their daughters to the position of Empress and bring blessings to their families, excitedly sought out information about the Empress Dowager's preferences after receiving the news, hoping to catch her eye during the garden tour.

Some mothers, feeling sorry for their daughters and not wanting them to spend their lives within the palace walls, worriedly told their daughters to be quiet and well-behaved, to try not to speak in crowds, and to avoid attracting the attention of the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager's decree to allow the palace to stroll in the garden stirred up undercurrents in Yujing City, and the palace was also in turmoil. Some officials with connections tried to bribe palace maids and eunuchs, especially those working in Cixi Palace and the Emperor's Chang'an Palace.

The emperor himself remained calm and didn't mention it at all when he came to pay his respects to Liu Qingtang, acting as if he knew nothing about it.

Liu Qingtang didn't bring it up herself. Actually, this matter wasn't urgent for her. After all, whether it was making her empress or taking a concubine, it would have to wait until the seventh year of Yuanning, more than two years later, after the plague ended and the emperor turned fifteen.

Right now, she just wants the pretext of organizing a garden party to discuss her relationship with Wei Zheng with Miss Wu. She also wants to see if those women who fought and schemed in the palace in their past lives still want to try and achieve the immense wealth they imagine in this life.

The people chosen to check and balance each other had already been decided, but she was willing to give them a chance. If any of them didn't want to come to the palace this time, she would let them go. As for those who wanted to come, they had already become pawns in her hands, whether they wanted to or not. After all, to keep the emperor's harem in turmoil, it would be best to have ambitious and capable women gathered together to create a grand spectacle.

The garden party was indeed incredibly lively that day. Young ladies from all walks of life, ranging in age from nine to sixteen or seventeen, dressed in vibrant colors, were even more radiant than the early spring sunshine.

Liu Qingtang didn't put on airs, showing a rare gentleness, but her accumulated authority meant no one dared to openly fawn over her. However, the unspoken competition among the young ladies below never ceased. Liu Qingtang observed all this, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over several former or future consorts—Consort He, Consort Xian, Consort Shu, and several other concubines and ladies-in-waiting. She paid little attention to the beauties, talented women, and ladies-in-waiting below her.

Among them, the imperial concubine who had been favored by the emperor for many years in her previous life was not present, because she was the granddaughter of the chief minister, while everyone at this banquet was a legitimate daughter of a prominent family. She wasn't even qualified to attend such a banquet at this time, yet many proud girls present were defeated by her, one by one.

Seeing those still-young faces, Liu Qingtang couldn't help but sigh at the cruelty of time. Who could have imagined that these bright-eyed, cheerful women would one day become masked, smiling women fighting tooth and nail for a man's favor? In her past life, compared to these women in the emperor's harem, she didn't know who was more pathetic.

Enjoying flowers naturally leads to composing poems and painting. Southern Dynasty women were less constrained; these women, who had received excellent education from a young age, almost all learned poetry, calligraphy, and painting from tutors hired by their families. At this moment, they were all putting in their best effort to outdo the others. Liu Qingtang glanced around and saw that there were very few who were quiet and didn't want to stand out.

What pleased her most was that the pieces she had her eye on were now almost all trying to get her attention, displaying their ambitions. Liu Qingtang smiled with satisfaction, but on the surface, she spoke a few words to some of them with an dignified expression, and even gave them some rare gifts.

She will be waiting for them in this palace, where they will put on a grand show for her.

In the afternoon, Liu Qingtang told the young ladies not to be shy and to go about their own business to admire the flowers. After all, they were still a group of curious and eager girls. Hearing the Empress Dowager's words, they went into the flower grove in twos and threes.

Liu Qingtang privately summoned the young lady from Minister Wu's household, and the two went to a small pavilion next to the apricot grove in the Imperial Garden.

The young lady, named Wu Qin, was sixteen years old. Originally, she and her father thought that if the Empress Dowager wanted to select concubines for the Emperor during this garden tour, it wouldn't have much to do with her, since there was a significant age difference between her and the Emperor. Who would have thought that she, who had always kept a low profile and remained a background figure, would suddenly be summoned by the Empress Dowager for a private conversation.

Wu Qin felt uneasy, following behind Liu Qingtang and unable to resist glancing at the renowned Empress Dowager. She had heard many stories about her from her father: becoming Empress in place of her deceased sister, placing her nephew, the Emperor, on the throne, and ruling as a woman. Her father had also said that this Empress Dowager knew how to appoint virtuous and capable officials, cared for the people, and was as decisive and strong as any man. If she were a man, she would be a wise ruler. It was a pity that she was born a woman, and even though she now held power, it was not legitimate.

She actually held the Empress Dowager in high esteem, finding her exceptional among women, and noting that the status of women in the Southern Dynasty had improved since the Empress Dowager's ascension. Wu Qin herself, raised by her mother, had become a model of a refined young lady. Sometimes, putting herself in the Empress Dowager's shoes, she felt she could never achieve what the Empress Dowager had, and thus her admiration for her only grew stronger.

Like most of her fellow young ladies, this respect and admiration was mixed with fear. After all, she had heard that when the Empress Dowager was her age, she had already taken lives. This was simply unimaginable for women like them who had never even seen a chicken being killed.

Therefore, Wu Qin's feelings at this moment were truly complicated. On the one hand, she was afraid that the Empress Dowager really wanted to choose her to enter the harem, and on the other hand, she felt honored and excited that the Empress Dowager, whom she had admired for so long, had shown her such favor and summoned her alone to speak.

Liu Qingtang had been observing this Miss Wu. Although her words and actions perfectly matched the Southern Dynasty's expectations of a well-bred young lady, she seemed rather naive. Perhaps because she had been so well taken care of by her family, her thoughts were always reflected on her face; she was a woman who was easy to read.

For example, looking at her now, he felt both respect and fear. However, with such sincerity and honesty, it wasn't hard for Liu Qingtang to understand why Wei Zheng had taken a special liking to this Miss Wu. It was always easier to relax with someone like that.

"Miss Wu."

"Ah? Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Wu Qin was sitting on the stool, slightly turned to the side. When she heard the Empress Dowager at the head of the table suddenly call her, her heart skipped a beat and she almost stood up. Fortunately, she managed to hold back and nervously responded while clutching her handkerchief.

"You're sixteen now, aren't you? It's about time you found a husband. I intend to arrange a marriage for you."

"You are not much different in age, and I find you to be dignified and virtuous..."

Wu Qin was a little confused when she heard this, and then her face turned even paler. She wasn't stupid; at least she had some knowledge under the tutelage of her shrewd father, so she immediately understood that the Empress Dowager was not referring to the Emperor when she said the marriage was bestowed.

But besides the Emperor, who else could the Empress Dowager personally bestow a marriage upon? Probably only Prince Chun, who was granted the title of Prince at the beginning of the year and moved out of the palace.

Previously, the Second Prince, whom no one had paid much attention to, was granted the title of Prince and moved out of the palace. Everyone was speculating which family's daughter he would be betrothed to, but the Empress Dowager remained silent, so everyone gradually assumed that she didn't want to care about Prince Chun anymore. Now that she thought about it, the Empress Dowager's talk of betrothal wasn't limited to Prince Chun alone. Wu Qin thought of this possibility, and her heart suddenly felt empty.

She had long understood that she would marry a man she might never have met, which was probably the fate of most women. If they were lucky, they might get a respectful wife and a husband who would be a perfect match for them; if they were unlucky, they would hate each other and might spend the rest of their lives struggling alone in the inner quarters of the house.

If it were before, Wu Qin might not have found marrying Prince Chun unbearable; after all, it wouldn't have mattered to her who she married. But now, she already has someone in her heart, and she can't remain indifferent and marry another man.

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude to have Your Majesty bestow this marriage upon me. However, I am foolish and ignorant, and I fear I may fail Your Majesty's expectations," Wu Qin said, mustering her courage. She was so terrified that she knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, waiting for the Empress Dowager's fury. Everyone knew the Empress Dowager had a bad temper and was extremely firm in her word; her refusal might just unleash her wrath.

Seeing Wu Qin kneeling there trembling with fear, Liu Qingtang innocently touched her forehead. She hadn't intended to scare this little girl. But judging from her appearance, she was almost crying herself. Liu Qingtang really wondered if Wei Zheng, that brute who could glare intimidatingly when angry, would end up scaring his wife to tears every time they married.

Wu Qin waited for a while but didn't hear the Empress Dowager speak. Just as she was becoming more and more afraid and desperate, she suddenly saw the hem of the Empress Dowager's skirt appear in front of her, and then she was helped up.

"I'll just say that it's really unreasonable for Wei Zheng to come to me so rashly to ask for a marriage decree. Since Miss Wu doesn't agree, I'll just reject that brute." In fact, Wei Zheng never came to see her. However, Liu Qingtang felt that it was perfectly acceptable to tell a few small lies occasionally in order to help lovers get together.

Wu Qin hadn't recovered from the shock of the Empress Dowager personally helping her up when she heard this. Her eyes widened immediately, and she exclaimed, "It's Hero Wei... no, it's General Wei?!" It wasn't Prince Chun, but the very person she had her heart set on? Wu Qin's heart was pounding with joy, but then she remembered how she had mistakenly rejected him earlier, and she became anxious and trembling, unsure of what to do.

Liu Qingtang was taken aback by the mention of "Hero Wei" that Wu Qin had blurted out, and couldn't help but think that the two of them seemed to have quite a story. However, seeing Wu Qin's anxious and tearful appearance, she had a change of heart and stopped trying to scare her. Instead, she smiled and said, "Oh? It seems that Miss Wu is also interested in General Wei. If Miss Wu is willing, then I will soon issue an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon the two of you."

Things were much easier than Liu Qingtang had imagined. She mentioned the matter at the morning court session a couple of days later, and she even observed the two chief ministers, Wang and Feng, but they didn't seem to react. She just wondered what they might do in private.

Looking away from Wei Zheng, the guy's usually serious, dark face was practically blooming with joy today. He was clearly overjoyed but had to hold it in, yet he couldn't help it, and the corners of his mouth were turned up. Combined with his deliberately composed demeanor, he transformed from a stern, ruthless ruler into a comical buffoon.

With a subtle shift in her gaze, Liu Qingtang noticed that the officials surrounding Wei Zheng all looked away, seemingly unable to bear the sight. Even Minister Wu, the shrewd old fox who usually loved to put on the airs of a Confucian scholar, was now secretly glaring at his prospective son-in-law.

It seems that although Miss Wu has persuaded her father, there are still problems in the relationship between Wei Zheng and his father-in-law. Wei Zheng is still not restraining himself and is grinning foolishly at his father-in-law, which makes Minister Wu even more angry and pat his chest.

Suddenly, Liu Qingtang noticed that her father, who was standing in front of her, seemed to be thinking about something and couldn't help but glare at Wei Zheng. Then, he looked at Minister Wu with some sigh.

Was that a look of mutual appreciation? Liu Qingtang suppressed a laugh and adopted her most common serious expression, only to see Wei Zheng cast a grateful glance at her, his happy smile inexplicably irritating. Could it be that she and Qin Shu smiled like that when they were together? Liu Qingtang thought back and felt a chill run down her spine. If she and Qin Shu smiled like that when they were together, that would be absolutely terrible.

Liu Qingtang sat below the emperor, flanked by civil and military officials arranged in four rows on either side. Amidst the eunuchs' shouts of dismissal and the officials' chants, Liu Qingtang suddenly felt an inexplicable longing for Qin Shu.

Wei Zheng was finally able to marry his beloved Miss Wu, but she, even though she and Qin Shu were in love, could never marry him.

Regardless, Liu Qingtang was very happy that her friend was happy. Thinking of the tragedy in her previous life, she even gave Wei Zheng a leave of absence so that he could openly use the excuse of discussing marriage to stay at the Wu residence to protect his fiancée and incidentally incur his father-in-law's displeasure.

That evening, when Qin Shu came, Liu Qingtang recalled her momentary sigh and suddenly wanted to ask him if he wanted to marry her. But after calling out to Qin Shu, she didn't know what to say next.

Even if Qin Shu answered yes, what difference would it make? She couldn't wear a bright red wedding dress and marry him in front of her family and friends. Saying it would only add to her worries.

In the end, Liu Qingtang simply smiled and hooked her arm around Qin Shu's neck, nuzzling against his neck. Then, under his questioning gaze, she chuckled and said, "It's nothing."

Author's Note: Bei Ziting threw a landmine [Sorry for misunderstanding, girl _(:3∠)_ rub you]

And so another landmine was thrown: [Thanks, girl, for rubbing and touching me too~ (Get lost!)]