Chapter 5: Is This a Eunuch?

Chapter 5: Is... He a Eunuch?

How does one break a losing chess game?

If one knows it is a certain death trap, why bother continuing?

It is better to flip the board and start anew; this time, it is impossible to say who will emerge victorious.

Although a Princess's status is noble, an unfavored pawn of a princess is simply too weak.

However, to kowtow and beg for mercy or show weakness to an enemy simply because one is weak is a major taboo in the game of strategy. Because not only will you fail to gain the opportunity to lie low and grow strong, but you will also be bullied to death.

Once one becomes accustomed to being bullied, even a desperate, dying counterattack will fail to harm the opponent in the slightest.

The original host's end was the best example of this.

The weaker you are, the more crazed you must become. You must let others see your determination to stake everything on a single throw, to burn your bridges; only by making others wary of you can you gain space to survive.

Xiao Li's current move was very effective.

To others, it might look like "damaging the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred of one's own," but Xiao Li was not the original host; she didn't care about her reputation for purity. Therefore, the damage to her was negligible, whereas Lu Yanzhi would find no peace in the future.

Indeed, Lu Yanzhi already had an injury on his head, and under the intense stimulation, he had fainted directly.

The imperial physicians were hurriedly summoned, applying acupuncture and administering medicine, finally managing to bring him back.

The Empress Dowager took the opportunity to have someone check if Lu Yanzhi had any physical deficiencies. That physician had some connections with the Lu family; having learned the full story, he also wanted to show the Lu family some respect.

He performed a very rigorous diagnosis of Lu Yanzhi's body and finally concluded with absolute certainty that there was nothing wrong with him.

He knew well that topics like impotence were enough to destroy a man, especially a peerless, noble prodigy like Lu Yanzhi. The damage caused by rumors would be immeasurable. Thus, he even staked his own future when making this statement, seeking only to clear Lu Yanzhi's name: "If there is even half a word of falsehood, this humble official is willing to sever his own hands and never practice medicine again."

"So Lu Yanzhi's body is fine, he just simply doesn't like Imperial Sister," spoke the young Prince of Wei.

He was young, loved to play, and lacked schemes or depth. He said whatever came to mind, never considering what his casual words represented.

Upon hearing this, Minister Lu immediately knelt on the ground: "Yanzhi is guilty! I beg Your Majesty to show mercy!"

Before this, it was the Princess who had struck the Consort, making the Princess the wrongdoer. But now, the wrongdoer was Lu Yanzhi.

To have been married for three years without consummating the marriage, and to have treated the Princess with coldness—the crimes of outward compliance but inward defiance and contempt for imperial authority were inescapable.

Although the Lu family's power was great enough to make the Emperor wary, they ultimately could not overstep imperial authority. And now, this matter was clearly the Lu family's fault; if the Emperor chose to make an issue of it, the Lu family wouldn't even dare to speak up.

The Emperor's mood at this moment was also somewhat subtle. Grand Secretary Lu was his mentor and the head of the regency ministers left to him by the late Emperor; therefore, as Emperor, he always felt a step lower in front of the Lu family.

The Lu family had always been lofty and cherished their reputation, never allowing anyone to catch them in a mistake. This was the first time the Lu family was at a disadvantage, appearing as if they were offering their necks for execution.

Xuan Yang had also done a good deed; he had to seize this opportunity to suppress the Lu family's arrogance.

Xiao Li knew nothing of the court affairs; regardless, she had already found a way to escape.

Knowing full well that the Empress Dowager was angry and would surely torment her upon her return, only a fool would wait around to be scolded.

Thus, when the Empress Dowager returned and ordered someone to bring Princess Xuan Yang, the response was that the Princess had already left, leaving behind a single sentence.

"The Princess said she knows she is guilty and does not dare stay here to annoy Her Majesty, so she has returned to her manor to wait."

The Empress Dowager suppressed her fury: "Wait for what?"

A palace attendant replied: "To wait for the Empress Dowager to pass judgment."

The Empress Dowager was so enraged she truly wanted to punish her severely: "Someone, come..."

"Mother!" The Emperor strode in, his face wearing an irrepressible joy. At the same time, he dismissed the attendants: "All of you, leave."

No one knew what the Emperor and the Empress Dowager discussed. In any case, the Empress Dowager did not mention punishing Princess Xuan Yang again later.

As for Xiao Li, she had shaken off the attendants and headed toward the palace gates, but because she didn't know the way, she ended up turning into an unknown direction.

The original host knew how to exit the palace, but she had never been to these side paths.

There were many attendants on the road. Upon seeing Xiao Li, they merely bowed from a distance, some even eyeing her with subtle glances. Xiao Li understood this; it was certainly because of the Consort's matter.

Gossip was human nature, especially a bombshell like the Consort being impotent.

Although she was one of the subjects of the gossip, the one who lost more face was Lu Yanzhi. She wasn't angry; she actually hoped they would promote it more.

"You, come here..."

Xiao Li casually pointed to a young eunuch, thinking of having him lead her to the palace gate.

The other person instinctively looked up at her, and in the next moment, his pupils shrank. With a face as if he had seen a ghost, he retreated in terror and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Li heard a heavy sound behind her. She slowly turned around to see a blood-covered person collapsed not far behind her. After falling, the body twitched, and the person reached out toward her with a trembling hand, eyes filled with desperate pleas for help.

"Over here!"

Two men dressed as eunuchs ran over aggressively, looking fierce and menacing. But the moment they saw Xiao Li, they quickly checked themselves. They exchanged a glance and knelt simultaneously to salute: "Greetings, Princess."

A tall figure followed immediately from around the corner. A large eunuch's uniform of dark purple-black brocade wrapped around a slender body, cinched at the waist, looking clean and sharp.

However, the most striking feature was that long, pale hand. In those well-defined fingers, he held a horsewhip covered in barbs. At this moment, the whip was dripping blood; without even thinking, it must have belonged to the person on the ground.

"Rise..." I suppose.

Xiao Li was in the middle of dismissing the two young eunuchs when she was suddenly stunned by the newcomer, forgetting to speak.

Is... he a eunuch?

The newcomer was tall and slender, his entire being exuding a chilling, intimidating aura that made him look difficult to approach.

But what surprised Xiao Li was his appearance. He had an exceptionally handsome face with exquisite features—thick brows, phoenix eyes, and a high bridge of the nose. However, his gaze was gloomy, and his skin possessed an unnatural paleness, making his entire presence seem extremely effeminate.

Yet, this effeminacy did not seem womanish; he wasn't sissy, but rather possessed an indescribable, cold, and powerful sense of danger.

He clearly looked like no ordinary person, yet the clothes he wore were unmistakably those of a eunuch!

"Greetings, Princess."

A temperatureless gaze fell upon Xiao Li. He performed a calm salute, respectful but without any trace of servility.

"Has the Princess taken a wrong turn? This servant will immediately have someone lead the way for you."

Having said that, he directly assigned a eunuch to approach Xiao Li.

Xiao Li glanced at the bloodied person on the ground who was about to draw their last breath, then looked at the eunuch who was like a pillar of ice. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, but she said nothing, turned, and walked away.

Only after Xiao Li had walked far away did the other eunuch look at his master nervously.

"Master, the Princess saw..."

The purple-clad eunuch lifted his foot. With a *crack*, the person on the ground's neck twisted, and they breathed their last.

"It matters not." She was merely a Princess who could barely save herself.

*Aaaah, this is my favorite male lead! I originally wanted to write the sweet young gentleman appearing first, but I ended up writing him out instead. (*^__^*) Hehe...*

(End of Chapter)