Struck by the Empress’s breathtaking beauty, he stood with his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.
This—this—the Empress was simply too beautiful.
Elegant and poised, she possessed a grace that could topple cities and stun the entire world.
Her beauty was profound.
It exuded a sense of holiness and nobility that brooked no desecration.
To describe her, she resembled the Queen of the Women's Kingdom from *Journey to the West*—her charm, her frown, her purity, and her status.
Yet, she was undeniably younger, more exquisite, and even more radiant than that queen.
While Ding Wei was lost in his own reverie, the Empress revealed two shallow dimples and smiled charmingly.
"Approved. Then don’t take it off. Just let this Empress see what this ‘hazy beauty’ is all about."
Hearing the Empress speak to him, Ding Wei stood frozen like a wooden chicken, his mind a complete blank.
A palace maid beside him thrust a scrubbing cloth into his hand and gave him a gentle nudge.
In a daze, he stepped toward the pool, one foot after the other.
She sat in the water, draped in white jasmine-patterned soft gauze, exposing her smooth, creamy, and delicate shoulders.
As Ding Wei drew closer, her faint, ethereal scent drifted into his nose time and again.
Greedily, he took a subtle, imperceptible sniff.
It smelled too good.
It was hypnotic, soul-stirring, and enough to make one lose their senses.
Unfortunately, if he did a poor job, he would be whipped to death or beheaded.
It felt quite unjust; he had only entered the palace to find easy meals, perhaps to flirt with a maid or two, or comfort some resentful, lonely lady of the deep palace.
Who would have thought he’d encounter the biggest fish of all right at the start? How was a man supposed to survive this?
He shuffled behind the Empress, unsure of how to begin.
Noticing the lack of movement behind her, the Empress chided him with a hint of annoyance.
"Are you not going to start?"
Ding Wei jolted at the reprimand, his mind instantly clearing. He stammered in reply, "Coming... coming... right away."
How was he supposed to scrub her?
Too light, and it wouldn't be comfortable.
Too heavy, and he’d cause pain or break the skin—which meant the lash or the executioner's blade.
He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, with no one to demonstrate or instruct him.
Ding Wei sighed inwardly: *This is too hard!*
Recalling the techniques of bathhouse masseurs and blind therapists from his past life, he steeled his resolve: move from slow to fast, from light to heavy.
Though his mind was made up, his body and hands trembled beyond his control.
He scooped up water with his left hand, slowly pouring it over her fragrant shoulders from above.
Then, he dipped his right hand, holding the scrubbing cloth, into the water.
His hand shook as he reached toward her shoulder.
Even through the cloth, her jade-like skin felt warm, smooth, and supple, with just the right amount of elasticity.
As his hand touched her shoulder, her delicate frame gave a slight tremor.
That tremor filled him with a spark of fear.
Overwhelmed by tension and anxiety, his movements stiffened and lost their form, and every technique he had planned simply vanished from his mind.
Unimpressed by his abysmal performance, the Empress frowned, clearly displeased, and said coldly.
"Is that all the strength you have?"
His realization dawned only after her rebuke: the reason she didn't call for palace maids to scrub her back was that she found their touch too weak.
He gradually increased the pressure, recalling the finger techniques of a professional masseur, interspersing the scrubbing with gentle taps and rubs along her shoulders.
As his technique improved, the Empress seemed quite pleased.
Before long, the Empress let out a muffled groan.
"Hmm~~~!"
Ding Wei was startled by the sound; was she in pain, or was she satisfied?
But seeing her muscles relax and her expression drift into something like sleep, he finally let his suspended heart drop back into place.
He laid the cloth on her shoulder and continued to press and tap with his fingers.
As he patted and pressed, he leaned in closer and closer, losing his sense of distance and failing to keep his own heart’s fire in check...
The Empress’s posture stiffened... and she turned around to look at Ding Wei.
Terrified, Ding Wei squeezed his eyes shut.
*It's over. I'm dead, I'm dead!*
The Empress remained calm and elegant, speaking in a gentle voice to the White-robed Woman standing nearby.
"The others may withdraw. Qiu Yao, you stay."
Once the other maids had left, the Empress stared fixedly at Ding Wei with a faint smile on her face.
"Open your eyes and look at this Empress."
"This servant doesn't dare!" he exclaimed in panic.
The Empress barked, "If I tell you to look, you look!"
Ding Wei opened his eyes, staring intently at...
The Empress glared.
"Where are you looking? Look at my eyes."
*Dizzy, you should have said so sooner!*
The Empress scanned his body, her gaze lingering on the undergarment clinging to his sturdy torso.
"Tell me, what’s with this physique of yours? If you dare lie, I’ll have you dragged out and beheaded."
Ding Wei’s brain worked at high speed. The die was cast; he had to go for it.
"Replying to the Empress, it was gained through training since childhood."
The Empress asked, skeptical, "With a build like that, how did you end up as a eunuch in the palace?"
"Replying to the Empress, I was an orphan taken in by a rice shop. I spent my life moving and carrying bags of rice, and I often stole some to eat. That’s how I got this frame."
The reason was a bit far-fetched, yet reasonable enough that she couldn't find any flaws.
As for the body's original owner, since he hadn't inherited those memories, he truly didn't know the specifics.
Recalling the moment from before, the Empress asked, "Just now...?"
"My... my... fingers. It was my fingers that accidentally brushed against the Empress," Ding Wei explained, stuttering in a panic.
"Fingers?..." The Empress hesitated, pondering for a moment before locking her eyes onto him again.
Suddenly, her fair, lily-white hand reached out like a fairy grasping at the moon.
In an instant, her expression became increasingly grave... and more grave.
After confirming it several times, she washed her hand in the water and shook off the droplets.
"Qiu Yao, take him away."
Ding Wei broke into a cold sweat.
*That was close!!!*
Thank goodness for his "Turtle Speed Divine Art"—this wasn't just slow, it was "turtle-hiding" magic.
It seemed he would need to practice it even harder when he got back; that was terrifying.
"Empress, taking me away... does that mean I'm to be beheaded?" Ding Wei asked, emboldened by fear.
Qiu Yao stood by the edge of the pool, holding a dry towel, and urged him, "Are you looking for death? Get up here, quickly!"
The Empress smiled, a look so captivating that Ding Wei fell under her spell all over again.
She waved her hand, signaling for Qiu Yao to take him away.
Ding Wei fled in a daze, his steps frantic.
As he ran, he lamented, *Tang Sanzang, oh Tang Sanzang, how you managed to survive the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, I truly admire you. If it were me—never mind the Queen, I wouldn't have even survived the Rat Spirit!*
...
After Ding Wei left, Qiu Yao asked, confused, "Are you really not going to kill him?"
A faint smile hung on the Empress’s lips.
"It’s not easy to find someone I'm satisfied with. If I kill him, who will scrub my back?"
Qiu Yao continued to press, "Should I have him reassigned to you?"
The Empress shook her head, her face suddenly turning stern.
"Who knows if he isn't another pawn sent by someone else?"
"Is the Empress implying that you suspect he, like the others we've executed, was sent as a spy by the others?"
"Who can say for sure? You investigate him in secret. Keep things clear, but remain still. Every time they send one, we’ll just find a reason to kill them."