Su Yao huddled in the corner of the Forbidden Chamber, the old eunuch’s sinister laughter echoing in her ears.
Familiar footsteps sounded outside the door. She jerked her head up and glimpsed Lu Huaijin’s figure through the crack in the door.
He stood beneath the corridor, the moonlight outlining his tall, straight silhouette.
“Lu…”
Su Yao opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Her fingers clawed at the door crack until her nails split and bled.
Lu Huaijin’s gaze swept over the Forbidden Chamber, briefly meeting hers.
Su Yao saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
As he turned to leave, the hem of his robe fluttered, stirring a cold breeze.
“Stop looking, you little wretch.”
The old eunuch’s fat hand gripped her chin.
“The Chief Grand Secretary gave you to the Empress Dowager—that means he doesn’t want you anymore.”
He leaned close to her ear, his breath carrying a nauseating stench of decay. “And this was your own choice…”
Su Yao trembled all over, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She remembered that night three years ago in the Music Bureau, when Lu Huaijin had gripped her chin just like this and said, “From now on, you belong to me.”
Now, he coldly watched her thrown into this hellish Forbidden Chamber, allowing the old eunuch to humiliate her.
The Human Skin Lanterns in the chamber flickered, casting light on the Human Bone Wind Chimes hanging all over the walls.
Su Yao curled up in the corner, trembling as she listened to the old eunuch’s snores.
She dared not close her eyes—the moment she did, she saw her mother’s desperate gaze as she was dragged away, her sister’s unwilling eyes as she breathed her last.
Tears silently slid down her cheeks. Su Yao clenched her teeth, afraid to let out a sob.
“Su Yao… don’t cry. You have to survive…”
As dawn broke, the old eunuch finally opened the door. Su Yao stumbled out of the Forbidden Chamber and staggered back to her own room.
Chun Tao was tidying the bed when she saw Su Yao’s dazed expression and was so startled she knocked over the copper basin.
“Miss!” Chun Tao rushed over to support her. “What happened?”
Su Yao trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming from her eyes.
She threw herself into Chun Tao’s arms and finally broke into loud sobs.
Chun Tao held her tightly, tears falling as well. “Don’t be afraid, Miss. I’m here…”
This bout of weeping was heart-wrenching, as if she were crying out all the grievances of the past three years.
She wept for the once-glorious honor of the Ministry of Personnel, which had vanished overnight.
She wept for the sudden deaths of her mother and sister, the two people closest to her in life.
She felt that in Lu Huaijin’s eyes, she truly was nothing but a plaything, something to be discarded at will.
It wasn’t until Nanny Chang’s sharp voice shattered the two women’s slumber.
“Heavens! What time is it, and you two are still sleeping in? What kind of behavior is this!”
Su Yao and Chun Tao were startled awake by the sudden shouting. They hurriedly got up, straightened their clothes, and waited for Nanny Chang’s orders.
“The Empress Dowager needs a maid to serve tea.”
“I’ll go, Miss. You didn’t sleep at all last night. Rest a bit now and regain your strength.”
Su Yao wanted to refuse, but seeing the worry in Chun Tao’s eyes, she finally nodded and gave her a grateful look.
But for some reason, the stone floor had become so slippery, as if coated with a thin layer of oil.
Chun Tao, caught off guard, suddenly lost her footing and her balance.
The tea tray in her hands tilted, and the teacup fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Eunuch Hai happened to be passing by and immediately shrieked, “You little wretch, that’s the Empress Dowager’s favorite blue-and-white porcelain!”
“Please forgive me, Eunuch!” Chun Tao hurriedly knelt down. “This servant didn’t mean to…”
“Didn’t mean to?” The old eunuch kicked aside the broken porcelain shards. “I think you did it on purpose!” His plump hand pinched Chun Tao’s chin. “So ignorant of the rules—you need to be taught a proper lesson!”
Su Yao rushed over upon hearing the commotion, just in time to see the old eunuch raising his hand to strike Chun Tao.
She quickly stepped forward to intervene. “Eunuch, please calm your anger. Chun Tao is young and doesn’t know any better. I apologize on her behalf.”
The old eunuch narrowed his eyes as he examined Su Yao. “Well, if it isn’t the little bird the Chief Grand Secretary cast aside?”
He leaned close to her ear, his hot breath brushing against Su Yao’s face. “If you want me to let this go, come to my quarters tonight to apologize properly…”
Su Yao shuddered, recalling the terror from last night in the Forbidden Chamber.
She clenched her teeth. “Eunuch, why must you trouble a young girl like this…”
“Trouble?” The old eunuch sneered. “I’m teaching her the rules!”
He suddenly tore open Chun Tao’s collar. “Such a tender girl—it wouldn’t be pleasant to send her to Shenxing Si…”
“I’ll go!” Su Yao blurted out. “Tonight, I’ll come to apologize to you, Eunuch. Please spare Chun Tao.”
The old eunuch released Chun Tao with satisfaction. “Now that’s more like it.” His plump hand stroked Su Yao’s cheek. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Eunuch…” She bit her lip, her fingertips digging into her palms.
That night, Su Yao curled up on her bed, counting the bruises on her wrists.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a little eunuch poked his head in. “Miss Su, come with me. Eunuch Hai is waiting for you.”
“Miss, you mustn’t go.” Chun Tao’s eyes welled with tears as she clung to Su Yao. They had heard about Eunuch Hai’s reputation today.
Eunuch Hai was notoriously depraved. As a eunuch, he vented his twisted desires on the tender bodies of palace maids. Those who caught his eye often ended up dead or maimed.
Su Yao’s heart sank. She wanted to resist but found her wrist firmly gripped by the little eunuch.
Forced to follow him, she was led through winding corridors.
The little eunuch eyed her up and down, clicking his tongue. “No wonder Eunuch Hai took a fancy to you, heh heh.” Covering his mouth with a snicker, he leered, “Look at this face—truly a rare beauty. Even I feel an itch, wishing I could have a taste myself.”
Su Yao’s face turned ashen. She struggled to free herself from the little eunuch’s greasy grip. “Spit! How dare someone like you even think of it?” she spat fiercely.
The little eunuch’s face instantly darkened, his features contorting as he glared at Su Yao with his beady eyes. “Hmph!” he snorted through his nose. “What an ungrateful wretch!” He took a step closer, pointing a finger at Su Yao’s face, his flabby cheeks trembling with the motion. “Look at this face—born to be a seductress! Flirting and tempting others all day, driving men mad—isn’t that your own doing?”
He clasped his hands behind his back, occasionally glancing sideways at Su Yao with an unbearably smug expression. “Blame yourself for being too eye-catching. Now you’ve even caught Eunuch Hai’s attention!”
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, a malicious smile spreading across his face.
“Just you wait. When you meet Eunuch Hai later, you’ll have it coming! He has plenty of ways to deal with women—guaranteed to make you cry for your parents, beg for mercy on your knees!”
With that, he laughed triumphantly again, the sound echoing through the narrow corridor, brimming with the arrogance of a petty man who had gotten his way.
Before long, the two arrived. The Little Eunuch raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.
“Coming?”
The door creaked open, and an old eunuch with a sinister gaze poked his head out.
He glanced at the two outside, his eyes lingering on Su Yao for a moment as he rubbed his hands together greedily.
The room was dim and gloomy, lit only by a few flickering oil lamps.
His plump hand pinched Su Yao’s chin. “Little girl, you’ve kept me waiting…”
Only then did Su Yao get a clear look at the scene inside the room. The walls were hung with all kinds of torture instruments—cangues, whips, branding irons, iron rods…
Each one exuded a chilling, heart-pounding coldness.
An unknown incense was burning in the room, sickeningly sweet. Su Yao felt a wave of nausea churning in her stomach.
The old eunuch forcefully shut the door, and with a sharp “click,” the lock fell firmly into place…