Dressed as a eunuch
The biting cold wind scraped across the mottled walls of the cold palace like a knife, peeling away, revealing the dark blue bricks beneath. Withered, yellow sycamore leaves were twirled around on the ground, finally collapsing in the mossy cracks between the bricks, soundless and lifeless.
The wind slashed through the low wall of the side courtyard like a knife. In the dilapidated woodshed, several skinny eunuchs lay sleeping in a mess. The dilapidated environment was really hard to praise. Cobwebs clung to the corners, the windows didn't close tightly, and a cold wind rushed straight into the house.
Several eunuchs claimed to be sleeping, but without beds, they lay sloppily on the floor. More than a dozen people were crammed into one room, each snoring like thunder, and the air was filled with foulness.
"It's so cold..." Su Manyan had a splitting headache and his whole body was aching as if it was falling apart. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids.
What appeared before my eyes were low beams, old window frames, wooden tables and chairs, and a group of people in strange clothes around me.
"Where is this...?"
Her voice was hoarse, the images from the accident still flashing through her mind—the speeding truck, the screeching brakes, the air filled with blood. Then she looked back at what was in front of her, her heart pounding. "Wasn't I already dead?"
Su Manyan was stunned, the pain of her body being crushed still lingering in her mind. She clutched her head and tried to stand, but her gaze lingered on the wide sleeves of her coat. Then, looking around, she saw she was also wearing a short, blue-gray coat. The fabric was the coarsest linen, patched upon patch, revealing the owner's humble circumstances.
Although the surrounding environment was dilapidated, it also exuded an ancient charm. A bold and strange idea came to Su Manyan's mind.
Could it be that she traveled through time?
Su Manyan lost her composure at the thought. She rushed to the broken-legged table in the corner and looked in the mirror. Her face was hers, exactly like her previous self, except for a hint of frailty on her delicate features. Her hair was combed up, and no matter how you looked at it, she looked like a man.
Su Manyan panicked instantly. She tentatively touched the key part, and when her fingertips touched the familiar outline, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally fell back to its original place with a "thump". She patted her chest in fear and said, "Fortunately, fortunately, it's still a girl."
I crouched down, held my breath, and carefully examined the people on the ground. At a glance, they were all men.
She paced around the house, thinking: This house is deserted, and the people inside are all men, still young and dressed in rags.
Which wealthy family's servant was he? Why did he want to hide his daughter's identity?
Bewildered, Su Manyan arrived at this unknown place in an unknown era, unsure of which direction to flee. She decided to follow the original owner's example and carefully conceal her identity.
Just as I was daydreaming, a sound came from outside the quiet courtyard.
"Eunuch Li is here!" The sharp and drawn-out voice was like a death warrant. Those who were originally sleeping soundly on the ground immediately got up in a hurry and stood respectfully.
Su Manyan watched and listened, touched the tip of his nose, and imitated them to blend into the crowd.
The wooden door of the woodshed was slammed open, and a cold wind blew in with snow foam, disrupting everyone's shallow breathing.
"They're all dead! How can you enjoy yourself like this? Just hide in the house and take a nap!" The sharp and piercing voice was like ice-hardened iron, hitting everyone's forehead.
Su Manyan secretly raised his head and saw a eunuch in an indigo robe standing at the door. The belt around his waist was tightly tied, and the copper key chain hanging on it was dazzling.
Eunuch Li? Judging from the voice, it's a eunuch. He is in the imperial palace, and everyone in this room is a eunuch.
"Grandpa, spare me." A younger man hurriedly knelt down, his knees hitting the ground with a dull thud. "I swept the west corridor this morning and I'm really tired..."
"Tired?" Eunuch Li glared with his triangular eyes, a murderous look flashing in his cloudy eyes. He raised his foot and kicked the young eunuch in the waist. "A eunuch in the cold palace, a worthless piece of shit, dares you to complain of being tired?"
The word "eunuch" hit Su Manyan's head like a hammer, confirming the possibility that he was reincarnated as a eunuch.
The young eunuch was already weak, and was kicked like a sandbag. He fell straight to the ground, groaning in pain.
Su Manyan clenched her fists, her slightly longer nails pressing into her palms, leaving deep crescent-shaped marks. As a modern person, she could not accept such unbridled bullying of the weak due to class differences.
But she was powerless and could only sigh in her heart.
"Who among you will pack up and go to the West Garden next door to serve the new master?" Eunuch Li raised his nose and spoke arrogantly.
Su Manyan remained motionless, watching the actions of others, but everyone kept their heads down, leaving only the increasingly violent sound of the wind outside the window.
What she didn't know was that those who lived in the Western Garden were all concubines who had once enjoyed great favor but later fell out of favor. They were all arrogant and very difficult to serve.
"What? Are you speechless again? Serving the master is a charity for you lowly creatures. Do you really think your life is so precious? No one is talking, so I'll beat you up and then send you away." Even more unpleasant and humiliating words poured out of that harsh mouth.
Su Manyan was about to roll up his sleeves and give the eunuch a beating when his knees felt like they were being pinned to the ground by invisible hands. The cold bricks and stones pierced through his clothes, causing him to feel pain. His mouth opened uncontrollably, and the words that came out made him sick: "I am willing to go. Thank you, Eunuch Li, for your reward."
Su Manyan's fury nearly burst forth from his wide-open eyes. He hadn't bent his legs of his own accord, nor had he opened his mouth of his own accord, yet somehow, he had adopted a servile demeanor, bowing his head and kneeling to thank this damned eunuch for his kindness.
She twisted her body hard, but it didn't move at all.
When Eunuch Li heard her words, his bitter face relaxed a little. The wrinkles on his face spread out like seaweed, and his thick lips opened and closed like a wriggling leech. "That's right. No matter whether the task given to you is good or bad, you have no choice but to accept it."
A short, thick finger touched Su Manyan's face: "This servant has a good appearance and is quite clever, but it's a pity that he has a hard time."
Su Manyan tried to duck, but couldn't. Her usually affectionate eyes now sparked with lightning. Amidst rage, she was filled with astonishment: Who was controlling her body? Where did this external force come from?
"Okay, pack your luggage and someone will come to pick you up later." Eunuch Li looked at Su Manyan's dazed look and felt that it was boring. He walked away leisurely, leaving everyone silent.
As soon as Su Manyan regained his composure, a crowd of people rushed over. "Ayan, you took the initiative to do this for us. You must take good care of yourself."
Su Manyan felt like crying, but she couldn't explain. She waved her hand. The most urgent task was to understand what had just happened and what the Xiyuan was. She grabbed the young eunuch who had just been kicked and learned that the masters there were difficult to serve, and those who went there were often tortured to death.
"Ayan, what's wrong with you? Didn't you find out all this and tell us?" The young eunuch blinked and asked in confusion.
Su Manyan quickly changed the subject and fled to the cubicle to pack his bags.
As the door of the empty old house closed, a terrifying electric sound exploded in Su Manyan's mind: "Dear host, welcome to bind to the 'plot-oriented text system'. Please complete the task and reduce the black value of the enemy country's proton male protagonist. Once it is cleared, the host will have a chance to be reborn."
"Who! Who is talking! What kind of monster is that? Come out!" Su Manyan was frightened by the unknown voice.
"Host, I'm in your mind, but if you want to see me, I can show myself to you."
The sound of the electric current inexplicably became shy, and at the same time, a small round ball the size of a palm appeared in the air. It was colorful and had a pair of small wings behind it, flapping and flying around her.
Su Manyan rubbed his eyes, unable to believe the small ball had appeared out of nowhere. But only something this horrifying could explain all the unnatural phenomena that had just occurred.
"Oh, host, don't be surprised. In your terms, I come from a higher-dimensional civilization."
"Where are we? You asked me to come here? So you mean, I can go back?" Su Manyan didn't care about being shocked and asked anxiously, throwing several questions in a row.
"Of course, I'm the most powerful 625. I will definitely do what I promised you, as long as you clear the male protagonist's black value."
"Where is the male lead? I'll go find him now." Su Manyan stretched out his hand to grab the dangling 625, wanting to hold him in his arms and ask him carefully.
625 said quite proudly: "It's your future master Xiao Lin, otherwise why would I control your body."
"The protagonist of this world, Xiao Lin, is the seventh prince of the Hu Kingdom, and is known as the King of Mobei. He is currently under house arrest in the Southern Kingdom. According to the original plot of this world, he suffered humiliation and endured hardships, ultimately destroying both the Hu Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom before committing suicide."
"And you, it's your job to change his fate and keep him alive. This hero does have a bad temper, but don't worry, 625 will help you. As long as you complete the task, I'll give you the props to lower the hero's dark side. However, the best way is to influence him with love."
At this point, 625's voice turned shy again, and she continued, "As for the mission, simply put, it's a multiple-choice question. You'll know the details when the time comes."
"Persuade him with love." It's easy to say, but what if the male protagonist is a madman who kills people without blinking an eye, wouldn't I be walking into a tiger's mouth?
Su Manyan secretly complained and wanted to ask more questions, but the nanny who was leading the way was already outside the door, urging her impatiently. She quickly packed her bag and set off with a series of questions.
This was a remote courtyard within the cold palace, untended. Winter had arrived, and the snow lay thick along the path. Dead branches and leaves lay lopsided across the road, or piled up in obstruction. Walking this secluded path, Su Manyan had endured considerable hardship.
"625, can you hear me?" The journey was boring. Su Manyan saw that the nanny in front of him was in a hurry to get on with her and had no intention of paying attention to her, so he tried to talk to 625 with his thoughts in his mind.
"I'm here, dear host." The sweet sound of electricity was still so strange.
"Isn't the concubine living in Xiyuan? Why is the hero there too?"
"The protagonist is a hostage of another country. Because of his alluring appearance, many rumors have spread about him. The emperor probably imprisoned him in this secluded place on purpose to humiliate him."
The two chatted all the way, and Su Manyan got a lot of clues.
"We're here. From now on, the King of Mobei inside will be your master. Please serve him well." The nanny stopped.
Su Manyan thanked the nanny in a flattering manner and said only pleasant words to coax the nanny away happily.
Pulling his thin, worn clothes tightly around him, Su Manyan stepped into the quiet courtyard, only to find it even colder. It seemed 625 was right; the hero's situation was truly dire. The courtyard was small, and dust blanketed the already worn furniture. It was completely silent, with not even a servant to wait on him.
"Host, Xiao Lin is inside, please go in quickly."
"Yeah." Su Manyan continued to walk inside, leaving footprints on the thin snow.
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