“No, if I wronged you, I’m sorry. It was unintentional. I was young and didn’t understand. I can’t remember past events, but I didn’t mean to…” she stammered.
“I guess you don’t remember; how would a lowly eunuch like me be memorable to you?” Gu Lianchang lit a candle and let a bright red drop of wax fall onto Ruan Ning’s snow-white abdomen.
Though not very hot, the feeling of terror overwhelmed her, and Ruan Ning screamed.
Gu Lianchang gagged Ruan Ning with a corner of the bed curtain, placed a red candle by the bedside, spread her legs, and pricked her in a sensitive area with a silver needle.
Held down at her waist, Ruan Ning struggled desperately and tried to scream, tears flowing rapidly. The flickering candlelight cast shadows as she shook her head and made muffled sounds, her tears dampening the light moon-white bedding.
Gu Lianchang felt his heart weighed down by her tears. The second needle descended slowly. Gripping her ankle, he gritted his teeth: “Since you’ve forgotten, let me remind you. When you were seven or eight, you entered the palace. Outside the imperial kitchen, I bumped into you.”
Her father had worked in the Imperial Foodstuffs Department, which allowed her visits to the palace. She had been beautiful like a porcelain doll, while he was the lowest-ranking eunuch. While carrying firewood, he accidentally brushed against her. The spoiled child cursed him as a “dead eunuch” and ordered people to pull down his pants in public. Although her father intervened at the last moment, the humiliation and feeling of powerlessness haunted him.
Seven or eight years old?
How could a young child cause such harm? Could he really hold a grudge until now? Ruan Ning shook her head desperately, trying to speak. Gu Lianchang noticed and removed the cloth from her mouth. She panicked and said: “Did I hit you or scold you? I apologize. Please, master, have mercy. Forgive my ignorance.”
Gu Lianchang coldly laughed: “You not only hit and scolded me but also had someone try to publicly pull down my pants.”
Now Ruan Ning understood his hatred. For a man who had been castrated, this was an extreme humiliation. But that was done by the original owner; she was just a child. Surely, it could be forgiven?
