Chapter 29 We've heard the word "castration" a lot about food...

"you......"

Anhe was startled by this action. Why would she do that?

Even through the sleeve, he could feel the warmth of Zhao Liangxu's hand.

The weather was getting colder and colder, and her hands were cold.

"Eunuch An has already said 'you' twice, what exactly is he trying to say?"

Zhao Liangxu felt that hand-to-hand contact was nothing special, especially since the boundaries between eunuchs and women in the palace were always more blurred than those between men and women.

In her memory, eunuchs in ancient times could sometimes even share a bed and laugh with palace maids they were on good terms with.

Even though there were still differences in gender, eunuchs were a group in the harem who could have more interaction with women.

They should be more accepting of this kind of contact.

Besides, when his arm was pressed against mine, he didn't look like he was about to scold me with a handkerchief in his hand.

She then became somewhat unreasonable.

After all, we've known each other for so long, we can't act like we just met, can we?

"Princess Zhao is usually so clever, yet she can't figure out what I mean?"

He tried to pull his hand away, but Zhao Liangxu felt that the action only made her grip tighter.

The contact between their palms didn't seem like something a romantic relationship would do; it was more like Zhao Liangxu's domineering behavior, determined to get an explanation from An He.

Zhao Liangxu stared at him with her bright, gem-like eyes, her gaze filled with inquiry.

Besides Anhe's face, what else about him could attract me?

This is what Zhao Liangxu was thinking.

In An He's eyes, Zhao Liangxu's eyes were filled with doubt, her pupils trembling slightly, as if she had something on her mind.

The fact that she grabbed my hand so aggressively suggests that our conversation that day must have hurt her.

The sensation in his hand was too obvious, and Anhe couldn't help but recall Zhao Liangxu's frail figure that day.

She was already dejected enough that day, and today his words, with their subtle implications, reminded her of places like brothels, which hurt her even more.

During her time fleeing famine, she must have encountered something so distressing that it would have reminded her of unpleasant experiences. The word "brothel" would likely have brought back painful memories for her.

Perhaps, saying a few words to reassure her could help.

Everything was done so that she could lure out Zhao Chengxin sooner.

Anhe felt that she was right, and everything she did was just to make the plan go better.

He had just opened his mouth, before he could say anything, when the sound of conversation grew closer and closer from the side path.

Zhao Liangxu remembered the female voice among them.

She was Aunt Fangshi, who served the Empress Dowager.

An He was still holding on to Zhao Liangxu, and in the midst of this tug-of-war, he lost his senses when he heard the approaching sounds on the path. He pulled Zhao Liangxu into the nearby uninhabited palace courtyard.

"?"

Zhao Liangxu was puzzled. Was there something she was ashamed of? Why was she being pulled away to hide?

Anhe was somewhat annoyed when she came to her senses, but if she came out of the courtyard now, it would only make her look more suspicious.

He felt that this behavior was not like him at all, and angrily warned Zhao Liangxu in a low voice, "Don't speak."

The red bricks and green tiles could conceal the two people's presence, but they couldn't hide the sounds that came from them.

Fang Shi and the other person were just passing by, but when they saw that there was no one around, they stopped and started talking.

"...Aunt Fangshi, have you really made up your mind?"

"Of course, Eunuch Wang, I brought this up myself, how could it be false?"

Fang Shi's companion was a eunuch.

"I am terrified that Aunt Fangshi is like this. Back then, my godfather tried to present her with treasures, but she wouldn't even acknowledge them. Why is she coming to me now?"

The voice was shrill, and the speaker even made a pretentious attempt to deflect the blame.

Fang Shi's voice weakened, feigning a sob: "Eunuch Wang, we won't lie to you. Since I'm someone close to the Empress Dowager, I'll never leave the palace in this lifetime. How can I not think of myself? Wang Fu is a senior eunuch, but he's fond of accepting bribes. Because he's been in the palace for so long, he's careless in his actions. I really don't dare entrust him with anything. Look, he's still imprisoned because of the assassin incident, and his fate is unknown. Even if he's alright, he's so old. How do I know how long he'll live?"

Her words were touching, and even her way of addressing him became more intimate: "But Eunuch Kele, you are different. You are about the same age as me, and you are a steady person. I can see that. Isn't the reason we found a partner just so that we can live peacefully in the palace and have some comfort for each other?"

Wow, it turns out that Aunt Fangshi wants to secretly form a romantic relationship.

Zhao Liangxu naturally pressed herself against the red wall to hear about such gossip.

“Aunt Fangshi is right. Laide always feels lonely working in the palace. It would be a blessing for Laide to be able to keep Aunt Fangshi company.”

Wang Laide's words were still flattering, but he had clearly accepted Fang Shi's explanation.

"I just wonder, if I become 'partners' with my aunt, where will she spend the night?"

Zhao Liangxu could not see the person, only hear their voice, but she could tell from the voice alone that there was a hint in Wang Laide's voice.

"This... Father-in-law, please don't be in a hurry. Since we share meals, it's natural for us to live together. But as you know, Her Majesty can't be without someone by her side. No one else can serve her as well as I can. Once Her Majesty is happy, I'll tell her about this matter. Maybe she'll even reward us with a courtyard in the capital."

When Lai Dexin first met Fang, she seemed somewhat reluctant, but upon hearing the suggestion of "living together," she was quite intrigued.

He took Fang Shi's hesitation at this time as normal. After all, if it weren't for the pressure of reality, who would want to be paired with a eunuch?

The two exchanged words back and forth for a while and confirmed their relationship. Wang Laide was in a hurry to go to work. Before leaving, he hurriedly instructed Zhou Mingxi to take good care of her and to tell her about "spending the night together" as soon as possible.

Zhao Liangxu listened with great interest, having long since let go of An He's hand, but she didn't notice that An He remained silent the whole time.

Eat together.

An He pondered these two words, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to Zhao Liangxu's outstretched hand.

The feeling from just now hadn't faded, and Anhe unconsciously touched the spot where Zhao Liangxu had just held her hand.

She should know by now that she shouldn't have too much contact with eunuchs.

Otherwise, it would be suspected of being a sexual relationship.

Living together as a couple sounds nice, but it's not.

If other palace servants said that, who knows what kind of nonsense they would come up with.

In reality, most of these are things that are despised.

Fang Shi hadn't left yet. She watched as Wang Laide disappeared from sight, and suddenly spat.

"What a shameless eunuch! He actually dares to have such thoughts. He's not even a man anymore, and all he thinks about is that kind of thing."

She cursed, still not satisfied, and angrily threw the hairpin in her hair to the ground: "If it weren't for Your Majesty! If I hadn't been unable to leave the palace, why would I have chosen a eunuch!"

"Castrate the dog, castrate the boy!"

Upon hearing Fang Shi's indiscriminate insults, Zhao Liangxu instinctively wanted to turn her head to look at An He, but she worried that her deliberate action would only bring more trouble to An He.

As she vented her frustration, Fang Shi's curses began to sound like sobs.

It sounds like Zhou Mingxi knew about the "eating couple" arrangement all along, and that Zhou Mingxi herself instigated Fangshi to go to the eunuch. As her confidante and head maid, Fangshi had no choice but to obey her orders.

After venting her emotions, Fangshi picked up the hairpin that had been smashed on the ground, composed herself, and left.

She thought no one would know about her outrageous outburst, but there were people in the courtyard and ears on the other side of the wall.

Anhe was unusually silent.

Zhao Liangxu sighed silently to herself; what had to be faced, had to be faced.

She looked at Anhe, who was more indifferent than usual, her face devoid of emotion.

His usual sarcastic face was expressionless.

There's a feeling that a storm is brewing.

Zhao Liangxu wanted to come closer to speak, but An He subtly took a step back.

He spoke, his voice strained: "You heard everything, didn't you?"

He tried his best to keep his expression normal, his tone was unsteady, but what he said surprised Zhao Liangxu: "A month ago in the garden of the An family, our family did not mean anything derogatory."

Anfu Garden a month ago?

When An He suddenly brought it up, it took Zhao Liangxu a few seconds to remember what it was about.

"Our family dislikes being pulled and tugged at by others. We're just used to using handkerchiefs; it doesn't mean anything by it."

Is this an explanation to myself?

"I sent you to the capital to keep an eye out for any suspicious people. Since you can recognize Zhao Chengxin's bodyguards, you should also know what the others look like. Just continue at your own pace."

Anhe felt that she was about to lose control of her anger.

Perhaps it wasn't anger.

Anger, resentment, shame, utter disgrace...

Either one is fine.

How could he possibly be as calm as he appeared on the surface?

No matter how many times he heard the word "castration" or how normally he acted, he could not erase his hatred for that word.

It's probably because Zhao Liangxu has been acting so matter-of-factly lately that he's almost been fooled.

Who wouldn't despise a eunuch?

Many people despise and insult him.

Because of Zhao Liangxu's inexplicably normal attitude, he actually felt a tiny bit of respect.

It doesn't matter what Zhao Liangxu says about him behind his back; she might even wish she were dead.

It's good that this part of the imperial city is now clean.

However, her outward appearance was flawless; in fact, he was willing to speak to her calmly because of Zhao Liangxu's impeccable outward appearance.

He thought that after speaking to Zhao Liangxu, he would get a reassuring answer and leave, but Zhao Liangxu didn't move an inch.

Why aren't you leaving yet?

Anhe suppressed his temper and asked.

“Eunuch An, you must be very angry after hearing Fang Shi’s words.”

Zhao Liangxu always seems to prefer to speak her mind directly.

In the past, An He would have lost his temper long ago, but when facing Zhao Liangxu, he took a deep breath and his expression was surprisingly acceptable.

Do you think I'm angry or not?

"If I were Eunuch An, I would definitely be so angry that I would want to kill someone. So what does Eunuch An plan to do after hearing this? Does he intend to find a reason... to kill Fang Shi?"

Listen to that! He even said, "If I were Eunuch An," and he actually seems quite considerate of eunuchs.

Anhe's face twitched, and a terrifying smile appeared on his face.

"Princess Zhao feels sorry for that palace maid? I am ashamed of myself."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Eunuch An is currently working on his self-conquest... In the next chapter, the two of them will speed things up a little! [Sunglasses]