Chapter 38 Attendant Lu

Upon hearing this, Wenbi on the other side of the wall replied in a slurred voice, seemingly tinged with alcohol, "Hmph, once I get out of here, let's see how that eunuch survives!"

Fu Yin on this side of the wall simply said, "They want to keep him alive so he can bring misfortune to the person up there, and prevent us from killing him."

"You won't let me kill him? I'll kill him anyway! It's just a fake prophecy from the Imperial Observatory, all that talk of good and bad omens, I don't believe a word of it. That good-for-nothing Director of the Observatory came from our Taoist temple, don't I know what kind of person he is?"

Fu Yin knew a lot of inside information and could explain it to Wen Bi, but seeing Wen Bi's agitated state, he figured he wouldn't listen anyway. So he glanced sideways at Wen Bi and simply said, "Fine, kill him after we get out. He's just a waiter."

.

Practicing calligraphy alone is indeed tedious, but over the centuries, Shinshu has experienced even more tedious forms of training; this is just a drop in the ocean.

He finished the calligraphy practice book quickly, but his handwriting hadn't improved much, since no one was there to tutor him. Shinju looked around the outer room and found only a bookshelf where he could hide things, but that was for the King of Poison. He calculated the distance from here to the side room of the Scorpion Shadow Palace, and finally decided to stuff the calligraphy practice book into the inner pocket of his sleeve.

Having finished writing, Shinju went to the door of the Imperial Study, intending to wait there for the King's orders. He could also relay any messages that came to him.

Before long, several ministers from the Ministry of Works arrived. They were puzzled to see only a young servant standing at the door and no sign of Eunuch Bao. However, they did not think much of it and said to the young servant, "Please inform the Emperor that the Ministry of Works has important matters to report to him."

The attendant slowly turned his head, and the ministers were met with a pair of captivating golden eyes from the young man. These eyes, perfectly complementing the golden earrings adorning his face, seemed to possess a divine quality, as if bestowed upon them a gentle, serene light, inspiring awe from afar. For a moment, the ministers were dazed, almost believing they had stumbled into a celestial realm instead of awaiting an audience with the Emperor in the Imperial Study. After all, such a noble countenance belonged to a mere attendant; the stark sense of disorientation nearly caused them to lose their composure.

After regaining his composure, the Vice Minister of Works couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, did Eunuch Bao ask for leave?"

Shinju stopped pushing the door open, bowed and replied, "Eunuch Bao retired the day before yesterday, and now I am serving as His Majesty's attendant. Shinju greets all the lords, my surname is Kei."

"Eunuch Qing."

"It's Eunuch Qing."

While the crowd exchanged pleasantries, they were inwardly horrified. This young man wasn't a temporary replacement; he was a genuine eunuch attendant. They had never seen His Majesty employ such a young servant. He seemed more like the one needing care than someone capable of looking after His Majesty. How could someone rise to such a high position without considerable experience? And they had never heard of him before; this young man had appeared out of nowhere, taking his place in the imperial court.

Mayuki was unaware of their thoughts about him, only sensing their silent scrutiny, but he didn't take it to heart. He nodded, then gently knocked on the door and pushed open the outer door of the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Works has important matters to discuss." The clear, melodious voice of the young man, like a mountain stream, entered the study steadily. His voice was neither high-pitched nor shrill, but clear and powerful. The Prince of Zhen and the Minister of Revenue were in conversation, but both heard it clearly.

The Minister of Revenue turned his head slightly, clearly curious about the unfamiliar and unusually young voice. When he saw the figure standing by the door, backlit, he couldn't make out the exact features, but he could tell that the person had a rather handsome face and a vague sense of familiarity.

Instead of instructing the Ministry of Works on what to do, the Prince of Zhen asked him, "Is the calligraphy copybook finished?"

After a moment of silence, Shinjuku replied, "I've finished writing."

"Let me see it."

"It's on the table. Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works requests an audience. Should we tell them to wait a moment?" Shinju tried his best to steer the conversation back on track.

The Prince of Zhen insisted, "Go and fetch the calligraphy copybook. The Ministry of Works will have them wait."

Mayuki smirked slightly, obediently admitted it, closed the door, and left.

The two spoke so naturally, as if it were perfectly natural between an attendant and the emperor, leaving the Minister of Revenue standing nearby completely bewildered.

This scene seemed all too familiar, the Minister of Revenue thought to himself.

When Shinju re-entered the room, took out a calligraphy scroll from his sleeve, and placed it on the table in front of King Zhen, the Minister of Revenue saw Shinju's face clearly up close and finally remembered—this newly appointed attendant was obviously the eunuch who served the emperor at the banquet that night when he entertained the Maple Kingdom.

At the time, he didn't see anything wrong, but later, rumors about the meal spread like wildfire, which his wife told him. However, later, rumors about other fathers-in-law dining together became even more rampant, and the matter was never mentioned again.

The Minister of Revenue was filled with mixed feelings. He had been pondering whether he should remind His Majesty not to let such rumors damage His Majesty's image. But after catching a glimpse of Shinju's handwriting on the calligraphy copybook, he forgot everything else, his eyes and mind only focused on the messy, illegible handwriting.

The King of Poison carefully examined every page, but he couldn't find a single neat character that would ease his brow.

"...Go outside and set up a table, then write seriously," the Poison King said, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Shinjuku initially wanted to refuse, but when he glanced at the Minister of Revenue's terribly pale and disgusted expression, he felt inexplicably annoyed and agreed, "...Oh."

Shinju tried to take the calligraphy copybook away, but was stopped by the King of Poison with his finger.

"Go to the bookshelf and find new copies. Any copy with the Grand Tutor's signature is acceptable," said Prince Zhen.

Wait, Your Majesty! You used Grand Tutor Liang's original calligraphy for this boy to practice writing? No, no, the characters just now were also written based on the Grand Tutor's writing?! He, not the Grand Tutor himself, was almost fainting. If the Grand Tutor knew… The Minister of Revenue was so shocked he couldn't speak, only able to curse inwardly. It wasn't until the Prince of Zhen resumed discussing the previous matters and called him a few times that the Minister suddenly came to his senses.

Meanwhile, Shinju had already circled back to the outer room of his bedroom to look for calligraphy copybooks. He then asked Zhixi for a set of single-person table and chairs and began writing calligraphy at the entrance of the Imperial Study.

Therefore, anyone who passed by the study afterwards inevitably saw this scene:

A handsome young man dressed as a servant, with one sleeve rolled up to reveal a smooth, white arm, held a wolf-hair brush and wielded it across a calligraphy template. He appeared quiet and composed, but his brushstrokes were extremely free and unrestrained, displaying a powerful and imposing style.

If any of the officials present were to approach the writing implements out of curiosity, most would take a few steps back, scratching their heads and praying that His Majesty would summon them as soon as possible. A few, however, couldn't resist offering guidance, and seeing that he simply wouldn't grasp it, some even wanted to snatch the pen and demonstrate for him personally.

For a time, the area outside the Imperial Study was bustling with activity.

Later, as dinnertime approached, the officials hurriedly left before the palace gates were closed. Meanwhile, the concubines who had returned empty-handed earlier came back again.

Shinju finished writing another calligraphy copybook, but King Zhen was still busy with state affairs inside and hadn't come out yet. So Shinju rested his chin on his hand, sat idly, and focused his inner energy on his dantian, trying to dispel the toxins.

At this moment, two palanquins slowly approached outside the Zhengren Hall. After the concubines dismounted, they had their maids carry food boxes and proceed to the front of the Imperial Study.

One of the personal maids, Liu'er, with a round face, walked up to Masatsu's table, bowed, and said, "Greetings, sir. Is His Majesty in his study? May I ask you to inform him?"

Shinjuku stood up and returned the greeting, "Please wait a moment."

Liu'er was surprised that the other party was so easy to talk to. Usually, Eunuch Bao would refuse outright, saying that the emperor was too busy to see his concubines.

The two maids exchanged a glance, their eyes sparkling with joy, before turning to look at their two masters in the distance.

Their mistresses were two concubines who were dedicated to cultivating a good relationship with Consort Yan. From afar, the two concubines saw the conspicuous table placed at the entrance of the study, as well as Qing Chuanshan, whom they had seen at the banquet that night.

Consort Xin scoffed, "I didn't expect that in just a few days, you'd become a high-ranking eunuch. So young, yet you exude such a seductive air; truly impressive skills."

Consort Han gently waved her round fan and said, "A breeze from the empty air, a breeze from the empty air, it seems it really isn't a lie. No wonder Consort Yan is like a madwoman, constantly nagging about this person all day long."

“In the past, no one received the Emperor’s favor except for Consort Yan, but everyone knew how much of that favor was undeserved. Now that an exception has suddenly appeared, who can swallow this insult? I can’t!” Consort Xin stomped her foot angrily.

"Don't rush." ​​Consort Han patted her shoulder. "They say the imperial family is the most ruthless. After all these years in the deep palace, don't you know what kind of person His Majesty is? Is His Majesty the kind of fool who would neglect his duties for the sake of beautiful women? In my opinion, he is probably just using this opportunity to warn certain people. His Majesty is so shrewd, he must have other political calculations."

"...You're right. I'm much more relieved now. Besides, he won't be able to cause trouble for long. The people behind Consort Yan... are not to be trifled with."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

.

Shinju informed King Zashiro that a concubine had brought him dinner. Only then did King Zashiro realize that he hadn't reminded Shinju to refuse all requests for audiences and gifts from the concubines. Because once this door was opened, it would never be closed again.

Just as the King of Poison was about to have a word with him, he heard Shinju ask excitedly, "Heavenly Fragrance Soup, Steamed Lamb in a Bowl, Harmonious Kidneys, what are these?"

King Zhen paused for a moment, then sighed almost imperceptibly, "Then let them bring it up."

"What about the two ladies? Shall we eat here or in the side room?" Every table in the study was covered with all sorts of things, and even if it were cleared away, it wouldn't be enough for just a few people to eat together. Therefore, Shinju seriously sought the opinion of the King of Poison.

"..." The King of Poison met the pure, unadulterated gaze of the True Monk, his eyes unfathomable, and finally waved his hand, saying, "As you wish."

Shinjuku was slightly puzzled, but still obeyed and went out.

He was delayed inside for a while, which caused the two maids to look knowing and downcast when he came out.

Unexpectedly, Masamune said to them, "Please go and summon the two ladies, and let them move to the west wing. The Emperor will be here shortly."

The maids almost thought they had misheard. They exchanged glances and then turned to look at Shinjuku.

Masakatsu blinked.

Afterwards, the two whispered "Your Majesty" and then jogged toward the palace gate.

But what was most unexpected was that the palanquin at the palace gate was no longer in place, indicating that the two concubines had obviously returned to the palace.

“…Your Majesty!!” The two maids immediately burst into tears.

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Author's Note: Oh wow, that's over 3,000 words! (Exceptional performance)