The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 61

Three days after Qin Shu recovered, Liu Qingtang, though outwardly calm and unhurried as he had his travel gear prepared for his trip to Ling County and the selection of accompanying officials, was inwardly extremely anxious. He had been ill, and his complexion was far from good. If possible, Liu Qingtang naturally didn't want him to endure the arduous journey at this time, but staying in Yujing meant the impending plague might cause him even greater harm. He hadn't fully recovered, and contracting the plague again would be truly dangerous; Liu Qingtang was unwilling to take that risk.

"Don't rush on your way. Ostensibly, you're heading south to select concubines for the emperor. But if you go straight to Ling County, I'm afraid the governor will become suspicious, and then it will be difficult for you to find anything. Visit the nearby prefectures and counties first before going to Ling County. You're still not well, so take good care of yourself. I've instructed the servants accompanying you to take good care of you, but you yourself must take good care of yourself. If I find you've lost weight when you return, you know the consequences."

"I understand, I won't make you worry." Qin Shu said, then hesitated, "But I've been gone for too long, and things here..."

"Don't worry, I'm not so spoiled by you that I've become a rich idler who knows nothing." Liu Qingtang's smile was confident and bright, somewhat resembling the bright peony that had just faded last month, but it was not the appearance of a flower of worldly wealth.

By the time Qin Shu left, it was already early July. If he didn't leave soon, he might not be able to leave at all. On the eve of his departure, after he finished reciting a passage from the Book of Songs, Liu Qingtang turned around and hugged his waist, saying, "I really don't want you to leave."

Qin Shu put down his book and slowly ran his fingers through her hair, remaining silent for a long while. He knew Qing Tang was just saying it; once she made up her mind, she wouldn't change it.

He was a man of little compassion, or perhaps more accurately, extremely selfish. He remained indifferent to many things, lacking the sympathy most people have for the suffering of others, and as for himself, he felt no reason to pity him. Everyone in this world has their own misfortunes, but he was merely one among millions, and he was still alive, with a lover—wasn't that the greatest happiness imaginable?

Perhaps due to his past experiences, he never felt that anyone had an obligation to care about the life or death of another stranger. If he hadn't tried to fight for himself, what was the point of thinking about rescue that might come at any time? He didn't care much whether Ling County was a place of corrupt officials causing trouble; he wanted to stay by Qing Tang's side and protect her.

But Qin Shu also knew that the person he loved was different from his selfishness; she was deeply concerned about her country and its people, and loved the nation that had given her birth and all its inhabitants. So sometimes, Qin Shu would unconsciously feel inferior in her presence, yet he also felt an irrepressible sense of pride.

From the moment she became Empress Dowager, Qing Tang never forgot the responsibility she carried for the Southern Dynasty. She always felt she should bear this burden, feeling suffocated by it, so he would help her bear it. Since she cared, he had to care too. He would do whatever she wanted, only hoping that one day she could live a little easier and no longer be burdened with such worries.

This was Qin Shu's first time leaving Yujing. As a favorite of the Empress Dowager, he was sent to persuade the chief steward in charge of this matter. He had his own carriage, and with the Empress Dowager's repeated orders, Qin Shu, the chief steward, was practically treated like royalty. The accompanying officials could only travel in carriages of two or three people each, but even so, it was still a grand convoy. In addition, there was a squad of Liu family cavalry specifically guarding the convoy. The journey was very smooth; not only did no bandits or thieves dare to come looking for trouble, but the weather was also excellent.

The caravan included those who were in charge of selecting candidates from among the common people, as well as those nominally accompanying the selection process but actually arranged by Liu Qingtang to assist Qin Shu. Many of them were powerful figures within Liu Qingtang's faction. They naturally knew that the true purpose of this trip south was not the selection, but to find evidence of the Ling County Prefect's corruption, bribery, and exploitation of the people. However, they didn't understand why the Empress Dowager had instructed them before her departure to keep any news from Yujing a secret from Chief Steward Qin for the next few months.

Unable to fathom their master's thoughts, they could only obey, and take good care of Chief Eunuch Qin as instructed. Not only those within the palace, but everyone had heard of Qin Shu's infamous reputation. Even those serving in the court, and the lowly servants outside, had heard numerous tales of his ruthless cruelty. These widely circulated stories were almost as infamous as their mistress's own fearsome reputation.

Previously, the group was quite apprehensive, fearing that this person, having come from the Empress Dowager's golden palace, would be unable to endure hardship and prone to temper tantrums. However, after actually spending time with him, they discovered that this supposedly fierce chief eunuch was actually quite easy to get along with, and they didn't need to worry about him or go to great lengths to please or take care of him.

Apart from having a gloomy expression and speaking less, Chief Steward Qin never lost his temper. At times, he even seemed very humble. If he didn't understand something, he would ask those of much lower status than him for advice. Although it was the first time, he managed the caravan very well.

Those people Liu Qingtang had planted understood somewhat why Chief Eunuch Qin had risen to such a position in such a short time. Luck usually favors those who are willing to work hard. In fact, many of them, while outwardly respectful, harbored some disdain. What abilities could a eunuch possess besides flattering his master? However, their opinions changed slightly after spending time with him along the way.

Some people know nothing and choose to give up and ignore everything; others know nothing but choose to learn. Some people have nothing and complain all day about why they don't have it; others have nothing but try to make themselves have it. This Steward Qin is the latter, and such people are usually very rare.

Just like their Empress Dowager, who, back then, killed a prince and a group of ministers, was also criticized. Many people thought she had gone too far, but dared not speak out due to her power. Those who supported the Empress Dowager, knowing more, only felt sorry for her. Although the Empress Dowager was a woman, she was by no means inferior to men, and cared about the country more than many others. Sometimes, she made those men who claimed to serve the country, but whose hearts were mostly set on power and beauty, feel ashamed. The truth is always outside the mainstream, so those so-called rumors cannot be entirely believed.

Qin Shu noticed the change in some people's attitudes towards him but never paid attention. He only cared about Qing Tang; the others were irrelevant to him. However, to make things easier and better fulfill Qing Tang's instructions, he had to make a statement. Along the way, besides learning more about things in the south and the prefect of Ling County, he spent the entire journey in the carriage enjoying the scenery, not wasting a single moment.

In truth, while these beautiful scenes were indeed stunning, they didn't move him much. The reason he had looked at each place so intently was simply because Qing Tang had said that when he returned to Yujing, he would tell her about the beautiful scenery he had seen along the way. Even though he had spent a considerable amount of time with her, he was still not very good at talking. Usually, she liked to tease him into talking, so he had to rack his brains to say more, but he still felt that he wasn't doing a very good job.

Gazing at the beautiful scenery—the lone wild goose against the setting sun, the ancient village under the evening trees, the twilight forest—he worried whether he could even describe a fraction of its beauty to Qingtang. He couldn't find the right words; he could only hold the book, comparing the scenery to the sentences, underlining the appropriate ones, and then, pretending Qingtang was right in front of him, practice repeatedly how to sound better. Seeing her so expectant, he couldn't bear to disappoint her.

Later, Qin Shu simply hired a painter to accompany him, asking him to paint all the scenes he thought Qing Tang would like. As he flipped through the scrolls, Qin Shu suddenly realized that when she saw these paintings back home, her first reaction might not be to praise the beauty of the scenery, but rather to complain that the paintings weren't as good as his own. However, describing the scenes to her through the paintings might help her understand better, at least much better than him giving her vague explanations.

Although he hadn't been out for long, he was already eager to return home. He couldn't help but urge the convoy, which had been moving slowly since leaving Yujing, to hurry up, but was persuaded to stop by others.

"The Empress Dowager specifically instructed that we not to walk too fast." This sentence left Qin Shu helpless.

Qin Shu and his entourage traveled for a month before arriving at Wei County, which borders Ling County. There, under the proper reception of the Wei County governor, they began selecting suitable unmarried women of good character and age from the common people. Qin Shu didn't care about the complicated selection process; he only cared that these women didn't cause trouble. Besides, his mind wasn't on this charade of a talent show.

At that time, news transmission was still very slow, and with the authorities deliberately blocking it, Qin Shu and his group naturally did not know that just half a month ago, the entire Yujing City area had been surrounded by the army, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

News within Yujing City was kept under wraps. The military officers stationed outside the city only claimed that military exercises were underway, and the civilians who were unable to enter the city were strictly forbidden from speaking out. In the eyes of ordinary people, whatever these seemingly unapproachable officers said was the truth, and no one dared to investigate out of curiosity, so they could only obediently keep their mouths shut.

As for the situation within Yujing City, it was relatively good. Liu Qingtang had made preparations in advance. After discovering the first batch of people supposedly suffering from "cold," she personally dispatched strong and healthy guards to isolate them. In any case, strong soldiers were less likely to contract the disease than ordinary civilians. Therefore, those who contracted the disease in her previous life were mostly men, women, the elderly, and children with poor health. Of course, there were also healthy men, but relatively few.

While people were puzzled by her actions, she had the imperial physicians, who had been prepared beforehand, step forward and declare it an epidemic. The physicians were naturally apprehensive; they had all diagnosed it as a common cold, but the Empress Dowager had ordered them to say so, leaving them no choice. Humans have a natural tendency to avoid conflict; they would rather the Empress Dowager be using this lie to carry out some treasonous act than believe it was a real plague, as the situation would be far too terrifying.

Everyone is afraid of death, even their own family members; not everyone is willing to risk their life. So when Liu Qingtang ordered all patients in this situation to be treated and cared for separately from others, not many people objected.

In just three days, almost all the patients were brought under control in places known to Liu Qingtang. Even those who refused to believe it and hid their relatives were searched by Liu Qingtang. She had to be ruthless. If these patients were allowed to disperse at this time, the spread of the epidemic would be even more terrifying, and more people would die. As the one in power, she could only be responsible for the lives of more people.

It was only three days later, when more and more people contracted this "cold," that the skeptical imperial physicians realized something was wrong. The patients' symptoms were no longer those of a cold. They broke out in a cold sweat, and without caring how the Empress Dowager knew about it, they threw themselves into emergency discussions and research. The entire Imperial Hospital was busier than ever before.

Even though some people still died, this start was far better than in her previous life, when the situation spiraled out of control after half a month, resulting in numerous deaths before officials, fearing punishment, reported it. Perhaps this time she could save even more people, which would be for the best.

Furthermore, Liu Qingtang discovered that many palace servants who had contracted the plague and been sent to Mingshou Palace in the past never fell ill again. Although Qin Shu had transferred some of them away, the rest, whom Liu Qingtang remembered, had been kept under surveillance by her, and yet nothing had happened to them.

In truth, given her position in the palace, she was the least likely to contract the plague. Even in her previous life, when the news of the plague first broke, all the palace servants who might be infected and everything that could potentially be contaminated were moved away, and countless precious medicinal herbs were used on her. Every aspect of her food and clothing was handled with extreme care. Moreover, she lived a secluded life during that period, so she shouldn't have contracted the plague at all. Yet, she did contract the disease and almost died.

A month and a half later, Taoye told her that one of the palace maids they had been watching was acting strangely. That maid, named Ranxiang, was in charge of the incense in Cining Palace. The incense she chose suited Liu Qingtang's tastes perfectly. She had been working in Cining Palace for several years and was a second-class palace maid. Liu Qingtang had been watched because she and several others had contracted a plague in their previous lives, and this was a precaution to isolate them in case they contracted the disease. However, Taoye told her that the person watching her discovered that Ranxiang had added something to her incense—something used by people who had contracted the plague.

Those in the palace who contracted the plague were sent to the Mingshou Hall early on, and naturally, they could only obtain their necessities from there. Meanwhile, the Cining Palace hadn't allowed any of its servants to enter or leave for over a month. How did she obtain such a thing as incense, and why was it placed in her incense? There must be someone behind it. As for who that person is, it's none other than a few individuals.

The emperor is about to turn fifteen, and is almost ready to take charge of the government. Last time, my father even intimidated the neighboring countries. With no external threats, only internal troubles remain. Some people think that she, who has been the empress dowager for more than six years, should probably step down. They worry that if she refuses to step down, they will put her to death. And that is indeed the case, but stepping down means death. What can she do if she doesn't want to step down?

In this way, it becomes perfectly clear why she contracted the disease despite all the protection in her previous life; even the most meticulous plans can have a loophole.

This time, however, her incense was exposed, and she was on guard again. What will happen next?

Author's Note: Cangying threw a landmine! [Thanks for the landmine~ Girls, come to my arms, muah~]

Hmm, I have free time again. Should I say something like last time? But what if I don't want to rant today? Well, let me advertise something else: my other story, "The Happy, Chuunibyou World of an Otome," will show you the ultimate envy and jealousy, making you want to take her place! ((*）ゞ→→ "The Queen in the Hive"—go check it out! [Oh, by the way, this is a really terrible story; girls who like a sweet, innocent style shouldn't read it, or I'll corrupt you. _(:3∠)_]