"Tonight, this Empress will certainly not let this opportunity slip by. Once I return, I shall bathe, adding a hundred fragrant flowers to the water, and when the lingering scent fills the air, I will come to attend upon His Majesty!"
Dugu Mingyue thought to herself.
Zhao Wujiang watched the Empress depart with the graceful posture of a young maiden, then felt a chill at his back. He turned his head and locked eyes with the Empress, who was sitting upright in a huanghuali wood chair.
One looked carefree; the other was cold as frost.
With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he softly hummed a tune under the fading twilight as he stepped into the room, only to be greeted by a fierce, head-on scolding:
"You damned eunuch! Why did you act on your own authority and tell Her Majesty that I have recovered my masculine vigor? Ah?"
The anger of Empress Xuanyuan Jing completely melted away the coldness, burning fiercely.
"Ahem, answering Your Majesty, could it be that I should have told the Empress that you can't?"
Zhao Wujiang's breezy remark acted like a basin of cold water, dousing the Empress's fury directly.
For a split second, the Empress's momentum slumped a bit... That's right, how could she possibly say she couldn't?
Since she was now "a man," she could not admit to any inadequacies.
"Then what if the Empress comes over tonight?"
Leaning against a chair next to the Empress, Zhao Wujiang spread his hands upon hearing this:
"What does that have to do with me? I'm only responsible for keeping your secret, and right now my lips are sealed tight."
The Empress felt resentful, biting her lower lip hard.
If she couldn't fool everyone tonight, she could kiss her imperial throne goodbye!
Ever since the founding of the Daxia dynasty, men had been valued over women, and females were forbidden from entering the court or participating in political affairs—let alone sitting on the throne of the Son of Heaven!
Her late father had not fathered many heirs, and her several older brothers had passed away one after another.
Even though Xuanyuan Jing was a woman, the late Emperor, fearing that Daxia would be coveted by those with sinister ambitions, had raised Xuanyuan Jing as a boy from childhood.
Yet so what? Xuanyuan Jing, after all, was not a real man...
As her thoughts surged, she could not help but sigh.
"If only I were a real man, satisfying that nympho Dugu Mingyue just once, she wouldn't keep pestering and tangling with me anymore!"
Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers and said casually:
"If you ask me, the problem still lies with Your Majesty!"
"My problem?"
Anyway, both he and the Emperor held leverage over each other, so Zhao Wujiang simply stopped holding back. "Nonsense, what woman can endure guarding an empty chamber all by herself?
How deep is the deep palace courtyard, and how unfathomably deep is the Empress...
No matter how much she embodies the mother of the world, she is still just a woman after all. How could she bear such prolonged loneliness?"
As time wore on, loneliness would only cling to her like a shadow and grow increasingly intense.
Hearing Zhao Wujiang's words, Empress Xuanyuan Jing's pretty eyes lit up slightly. Her gaze swept across Zhao Wujiang's handsome face, stirring ripples within her. She was touched by a hint of Zhao Wujiang's talent and understood the logic behind his words.
The sense of impotence and defeat brought by her gender caused Empress Xuanyuan Jing to sigh repeatedly. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, prompting her to retort sharply.
"I know the root cause is that I am not a real man, but do you think I don't want to become a real man?"
She stared fixedly into Zhao Wujiang's eyes, her aura rising. Suddenly, a wave of moisture rippled across her pupils!
A real man?
Wasn't the little eunuch before her a real man?
"You'll do!"
"Me? What does Your Majesty want to do?"
Xuanyuan Jing's eyes grew brighter and brighter: "If Dugu Mingyue comes to attend the bed, you will satisfy her in my place!"
???
Zhao Wujiang tilted his head, utterly failing to comprehend this woman's train of thought for a moment!
"You want me to sleep with the Empress? Are you out of your mind?"
She probably wanted to trap him to death. Although Zhao Wujiang harbored the surging ambitions of a scoundrel, he still maintained a sliver of caution.
"If you don't go, my secret will be exposed sooner or later, and I might as well just kill you first!"
Xuanyuan Jing's tone carried a heavy threat.
"Ugh..."
In all his life, he had never heard such a request!
Under the scorching, threatening gaze of the Empress, Zhao Wujiang reluctantly nodded. "Fine, fine, fine, you're forcing me into this, Your Majesty. I don't want to sleep with the Empress at all!"
***
Chapter 4: Internal Troubles and External Threats of Daxia
Night descended, and evening stars emerged.
Unfazed and leisurely, Zhao Wujiang leaned back in his chair. Just as he was about to discuss a few precautions regarding "attending the bed" with the Emperor, the door was knocked upon.
The knocks came as three long beats followed by two short ones, then the crisp sound of the door ring turning, followed by another two short beats and three long ones.
A secret code?
Zhao Wujiang glanced at Xuanyuan Jing and saw her instantly recover her majestic, upright posture.
He understood in a flash that it must be a secret code from outside—was an official seeking an audience late at night?
Zhao Wujiang gave a light cough. "This servant will take his leave first."
"No, you are not to leave my side for even a single step right now. I don't trust you outside."
"Ugh..."
Xuanyuan Jing sat upright on the dragon throne. "Enter."
The door was pushed open. The bright candles burning inside contrasted sharply with the pitch-black darkness outside.
From the deep darkness, a figure walked in. A dark blue robe wrapped around a robust physique, walking with the stride of a dragon and the pace of a tiger. Without casting a glance aside, the figure came before Xuanyuan Jing, dropped to one knee, and emitted a resonant, respectful baritone from beneath a azure mask.
"Jia Shijiu has returned from investigating the Northern Frontier upon the Holy Command. Long live our Emperor, long live, long live our Emperor!"
"Rise." Xuanyuan Jing's expression was warm.
Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers, his eyes narrowing slightly. This masked man named Jia Shijiu gave him a profound sense of oppression.
It gave Zhao Wujiang an intuition that the moment he made any move detrimental to the Empress beside him, he would instantly drop dead on the spot.
This sense of oppression stemmed from power, specifically the power of martial arts.
He had some understanding of this world: numerous nations stood side by side, giving rise to quite a few martial arts masters who could crush an ordinary person as easily as crushing an ant.
Jia Shijiu stood up, but instead of reporting immediately, his gaze swept over Zhao Wujiang like a executioner's broadsword, casting a heavy, iron-blooded intent to kill upon Zhao Wujiang's neck as he harshly said:
"You lowly eunuch, why haven't you withdrawn and why are you still standing here foolishly? Is the matter I am about to report something your ears are fit to hear?"
"Huh?"
Zhao Wujiang smiled. "A mere vulgar brute of martial arts—it would only take a single punch for you to kneel before me, Zhao Wujiang... begging me not to die!"
Shifting his eyes, Zhao Wujiang let out a soft snort through his nose to show his disdain, though it happened to be a good excuse to run away. "Leaving it is, then!"
Xuanyuan Jing immediately spoke to stop him.
"It's fine, Shijiu, give me the details."
The old face beneath Jia Shijiu's mask trembled... The Emperor actually allowed this little eunuch to stay?
Bizarre!
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject went to the Northern Frontier, and after investigation, the Grand General's illness is indeed as Your Majesty anticipated—there is something strange about it!"
Jia Shijiu fished a dark, palm-sized wooden box from his deep blue robe and slowly unfolded it:
"The Grand General is suspected of being afflicted with the Gu sorcery of the Loulan remnants from the Southern Frontier. This worm was extracted from within the Grand General's body."
The wooden box was opened, lined all over with various grayish-green leaves. Even more peculiar was that amidst the mottled leaves were dark, blackish-red bloodstains, and crawling atop the bloodstains was a short, pale, soft, wriggling worm with only a single eye.
It looked harmless enough, but the very moment the box was opened, Zhao Wujiang, whose medical skills were exquisite, felt a sense of life-and-death crisis of extreme intensity!
Just as Xuanyuan Jing was about to lean in for a closer look, Zhao Wujiang grabbed her and pushed her backward. "Don't go near that thing."
Suddenly turning solemn, Xuanyuan Jing halted her steps and said in a cold voice: "Jia Shijiu!"
Startled, Jia Shijiu hurriedly snapped the wooden box shut and scrambled back five paces. With lingering fear, he glanced at the Emperor and the little eunuch beside her, calling himself a fool for letting such a dangerous object get so close to the Emperor.
At the same time, what shocked him even more was that this little eunuch had sensed the danger ahead of him?
This little eunuch was no simple character...
Xuanyuan Jing was pushed backward by Zhao Wujiang pressing against her chest. Even though she had long since tightly bound them with a silk ribbon, shame and anger still rose in her heart, and she swatted away Zhao Wujiang's large hand.
Bound so tightly and still at least a B-cup, what would happen if they were set free?
Zhao Wujiang twitched his fingers and measured mentally. At that moment, Xuanyuan Jing happened to shoot him a sidelong glance before steering the conversation back:
"The Loulan remnants are in the southern border of Daxia, yet the Gu worm was planted inside General Zhao. Could it be they are colluding with the barbarians beyond the Northern Frontier? How can these two places so far apart possibly collude?"
Zhao Wujiang, hands tucked in his sleeves, couldn't help laughing upon hearing this. "Why must it be collusion? Perhaps it's instigation, sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight, or reaping the profits while others struggle!"
Startled by these words, Jia Shijiu immediately attacked: "What does a little eunuch like you understand about court politics? Is this something a little eunuch can meddle in?"
"No matter."
Xuanyuan Jing did not think so, however.
This fake eunuch had seen through the crisis inside the wooden box at a single glance.
Moreover, she needed him to satisfy the Empress and dispel the suspicions of the Dugu clan.
Since she couldn't kill him, she might as well give him an identity that allowed him to stay by her side.
"Zhao Wujiang is my confidant, and I permit him to discuss state affairs."
A confidant!!
Jia Shijiu lowered his head, his face beneath the mask filled with shock.
Aside from them, the Longyin Guards, when did the Emperor ever take on a confidant?
Judging by the Emperor's attitude, this confidant was probably even closer than they were as Longyin Guards!
"Little Zhao, continue," Xuanyuan Jing said.
A confidant... Zhao Wujiang raised an eyebrow. This female emperor wanted to buy him off?
Interesting.
"Then I'll just say a few brief words."
Giving a dry cough, Zhao Wujiang assumed a serious expression. "The moment this Gu worm was opened just now, this servant already roughly grasped its origins.
This servant once perused some ancient texts and learned that when the ancient kingdom of Loulan fell, this Gu worm was the ultimate culprit!
This Gu enters the body via the heart meridians, hides in the chambers of the human heart, and manipulates people's minds!
Now the descendants of the ancient Loulan kingdom—the Loulan remnants—have planted this Gu. The sinister ambitions and plots of those involved are as clear as day!"
"People and events involved?" The Empress asked in confusion, her inner worries rising.
Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers, his stark black-and-white eyes gazing into Xuanyuan Jing's pupils: "Your Majesty can consider this: if General Zhao falls, who is the greatest beneficiary? The Loulan remnants?"
Empress Xuanyuan Jing's pupils dilated, her mind shaken to the core.
Jia Shijiu also vaguely connected the dots, keeping his head bowed, his old face beneath the mask brimming with shock.
It couldn't be the Loulan remnants!
If the ancient kingdom still stood, it might have been possible, but the mere remnants of today could hardly muster the strength of their entire nation to cross the southern borders of Daxia...
What would they stand to gain by plotting against the Northern Frontier?
Xuanyuan Jing's bright eyes trembled. During the inner court session today, so many officials had recommended members of the Dugu clan for the Northern Frontier. If General Zhao fell, the Dugu clan would be the biggest beneficiary!
"Sinister ambitions!"
Xuanyuan Jing's body grew slightly limp, collapsing back against the huanghuali wood chair. Years of exhaustion washed over her now that these internal troubles and external threats were gradually becoming clear. Closing her eyes, she muttered thickly:
"Withdraw."
"Yes!"
Jia Shijiu bowed and retreated, and Zhao Wujiang also wanted to seize the chance to run, but unexpectedly:
"Zhao Wujiang, you stay."
Hearing Xuanyuan Jing's words, the aged eyes beneath Jia Shijiu's azure mask rolled.
The Emperor actually wanted this little eunuch to stay behind alone!
It seemed this kid was truly extraordinary!
Perhaps, just like them in the Longyin Guard, he was another hidden trump card of the Emperor's—perhaps even a more terrifying one!
Jia Shijiu immediately bowed respectfully to Zhao Wujiang. "Lord Confidant, please look after me in the future."
Look after my ass, I want to run away... Zhao Wujiang couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.
Yet in Jia Shijiu's eyes, Zhao Wujiang's reaction was clearly one of aloof detachment!
The more capable a person was, the more aloof they were.
"Lord Confidant, my admiration for you flows like the endless waters of the Yangtze River, rolling on and on, much like the overflowing Yellow River running completely out of control. Until we meet again!"
Huh?
"You old rascal certainly know how to talk."
Zhao Wujiang, hands tucked in his sleeves, gave a faint nod.
Seeing that Zhao Wujiang didn't hold a grudge against his previous actions, Jia Shijiu immediately took his leave and closed the door behind him.
Zhao Wujiang slowly paced toward Empress Xuanyuan Jing. The candlelight cast his shadow over her exhausted frame. Seeming to sense it, she slowly opened her eyes, bloodshot and shimmering with moisture that had yet to dry...
***
Chapter 5: Everything Goes Unsaid
Among all the civil and military officials, Xuanyuan Jing discovered that not a single person could listen to her speak her true thoughts.
In the long, lonely night, only this fake eunuch before her knew her secret and yet wasn't afraid of her.
"Zhao Wujiang, what should I do?"
If I knew, I'd be the emperor already, do I need you to... Zhao Wujiang thought to himself, simply changing his phrasing to reply: "Does Your Majesty want a massage?"
"A massage?"
"Mm, to relieve fatigue and relax."
"I am indeed tired. Come and try it on me."
Zhao Wujiang said with utmost seriousness: "My fees are very high. Let's make it clear first: one hundred taels of gold per hour."
...
The space of a cup of tea later.
"Mmhunt... Zhao Wujiang, you... you lighter..."
Leaning back in her chair, Xuanyuan Jing couldn't help letting out soft moans under Zhao Wujiang's massage as her fatigue rapidly faded.
Trying her best to shift her focus, Xuanyuan Jing asked: "When you were by the Empress's side... have you ever heard any mention of Loulan?"
"No."
Zhao Wujiang was concise. His fingers slid past Xuanyuan Jing's snow-white neck, his eyes appraising that handsome face—one that had been subtly altered with cosmetics to deliberately conceal much of its natural splendor.
He just wondered what kind of peerless countenance, capable of toppling kingdoms, would emerge once the superficial makeup on the Empress's face was washed away.
"Zhao Wujiang, I know you were originally the Empress's person, but..."
Xuanyuan Jing's voice possessed both the ruling aura of an imperial older sister and the soft, sweet nuance of a sweet girl:
"The Xuanyuan clan is the orthodox ruler of Daxia! Even if the Dugu clan are descendants of founding heroes, they are ultimately subjects. You are a citizen of Daxia, and your loyalty belongs to the sovereign, not a subject. Do you understand?"
Understood, you want to poach me, right... Zhao Wujiang said faintly: "As long as Your Majesty doesn't kill me, I understand."
Xuanyuan Jing opened her eyes and shot Zhao Wujiang a sidelong glance, knowing he was hinting at a threat.
"You and I are people in the same boat; we must pull together through thick and thin!"
"This servant is a decent swimmer and can swim on his own."
Zhao Wujiang replied with a face full of earnest innocence.
Empress Xuanyuan Jing bit her lower lip hard, suddenly wanting to beat Zhao Wujiang to death.
She took a breath:
"You are a smart person. You should know that Heaven will surely protect the orthodox Xuanyuan line. You understand which boat to stand on. I can tell the Empress trusts you. I order you to go and fish for information—extract some secrets. If you fail, bring me your head."
Ugh... Why did all these women in power love threatening people's lives at the drop of a hat?
Stroking his fingers, Zhao Wujiang shook his head. "I can't fish out anything; this servant is just a small fry."
"You understand Gu—what about planting it?"
"I don't. Gu is sorcery; medicine and sorcery share the same origin but take different paths. Besides, I am not from Loulan." Zhao Wujiang paused to think before saying earnestly: "However, when people are lacking in awareness or in extreme pleasure, it's very easy to speak the truth. We can seize that kind of timing."
"Lacking in awareness? Extreme pleasure?" Xuanyuan Jing asked in confusion, her pretty eyes twitching.
"For instance, after drinking alcohol, the restraints in one's heart are suppressed, making it very easy to pour one's heart out. Or perhaps getting a promotion, getting rich, losing one's hubby... um... basically, when people are very happy, they tend to get carried away, and it's also relatively easy for them to speak the truth..."
Zhao Wujiang said slowly.
Empress Xuanyuan Jing also showed a pensive look: "It seems we'll have to find a time to bring the Empress extreme pleasure, then."
Right at that moment.
A palace maid's voice came from outside, reporting:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress requests an audience."
What is she here for? Oh no... Xuanyuan Jing immediately stood up from her chair, looking somewhat flustered.
"Dugu Mingyue isn't coming to attend the bed, is she?"
"No way? She couldn't even wait for a single night?"
She glanced at Zhao Wujiang. "It's up to you!"
"So fast, holy shit... At least let me get mentally prepared..."
While Zhao Wujiang was still hesitating,
With a swift *whoosh*, Xuanyuan Jing blew out the candlelight, plunging the room into pitch darkness.
Xuanyuan Jing's eyes shone brightly with moisture:
"Enter."
The door was pushed open, and Dugu Mingyue walked in with light, graceful steps. Draped in light gauze, her exquisite, petite figure looked even more hazy and alluring in the dark. As she walked all the way in, a fragrant breeze swirled around her. Without clearly seeing the person inside the room, she said in a soft, sweet voice:
"Your Majesty, what are you..."
"I know what the Empress desires."
Closing the door herself, Xuanyuan Jing took a piece of soft silk scarf and gently covered Dugu Mingyue's eyes, tying a knot at the back of her head.
This was the first time Xuanyuan Jing had physical contact with her.
Instantly, Dugu Mingyue's heart trembled—fluttering, nervous, and shy emotions bloomed across her peerless face. With no light in the room, she was the light at that moment.
Yet Xuanyuan Jing, having finished doing all this, stood there dumbfounded, gently poking Zhao Wujiang beside her.
Ugh... Could it be that this female emperor had no experience either?
Helpless, Zhao Wujiang whispered into Xuanyuan Jing's ear, and a blushing Xuanyuan Jing translated his words.
"Empress, tonight I wish to share romantic moonlight with you. I am not good with words, so the Empress need not speak—only act. I will take you to roam the universe."
Hearing this, Dugu Mingyue, who could see nothing at all, felt her heart flutter wildly, her chest rising and falling unevenly.
Xuanyuan Jing swapped positions with Zhao Wujiang. Inhaling the faint fragrance lingering on Dugu Mingyue, Zhao Wujiang took her delicate, soft-as-boneless hand, uttered not a word, and stepped into the bed curtains.
Behind the light gauze curtains of the bed,
Xuanyuan Jing hid in the dark, full of anxiety, terrified that Zhao Wujiang would expose himself.
Yet what Zhao Wujiang did next instantly made Xuanyuan Jing flush bright red!
He saw Zhao Wujiang gently pinch Dugu Mingyue's tender cheeks and kiss her deeply.
Moonlight filtered down, even reflecting a trace of glistening moisture.
A shy, muffled voice from Dugu Mingyue reached Zhao Wujiang's ears.
*Sigh*... Third Grand Uncle, if you have a spirit in heaven, please spare my brother's life. I, Zhao Wujiang, haven't let you down either!
Since the Emperor had agreed anyway, Zhao Wujiang simply lost himself in it.
Standing to the side, Xuanyuan Jing tiptoed over to pour a cup of tea.
She drank down a cup of tea.
Two cups of tea.
Three cups of tea.
And she still felt her throat parched and dry!
"Is this... what the Empress has always wanted?"
Xuanyuan Jing thought to herself, her earlobes burning hot and crimson the entire time. The sounds of human life gradually threatened to blur her vision, making time feel exceptionally long to her.
Finally,
Out of the darkness, an exhausted Zhao Wujiang walked up to Xuanyuan Jing and said softly:
"Your Majesty, it's your turn."
Blushing so hard her face was hidden by the dark, though a hint of moist flush could still be glimpsed, Xuanyuan Jing let out a soft huff under her breath: "That was two whole hours!"