She cursed internally, not daring to show any resentment, looking pitifully helpless. Gu Lianchang’s hand became lighter and more agile, but he didn’t stop, savoring her fear.
It seemed to last an eternity before Ruan Ning noticed his pen had stopped.
Was he about to tattoo her? Ruan Ning looked at him in panic and pleaded, “Master, please, no tattoo?”
“No,” Gu Lianchang replied lightly, then reached for the needle box, opening it slowly.
As he drew out the silver needle, Ruan Ning’s scalp went numb. Desperately, she grabbed his hand and licked it, mumbling, “No tattoo, please. I beg you.”
A seductive wave surged within him, causing Gu Lianchang’s heart to flutter. He quickly withdrew his hand, saying coldly, “No.”
The needle approached, and Ruan Ning tightly closed her eyes and screamed, unable to feel anything. A white light appeared before her, and she fainted while crying.
While wrapping the silk quilt, she turned over, moving closer to him and softly asked, “Supervisor, are you still angry?”
Gu Lianchang let out a light hum without replying.
Ruan Ning sighed in relief, sensing he was no longer angry. She smiled and said softly, “Can you not prick me again in the future? It really hurts. I almost passed out.”
Hurts? Gu Lianchang coldly glanced at her, thinking she could lie without blinking an eye.
Ruan Ning noticed the change in Gu Lianchang’s expression and hugged his arm, pleading, “Can you not prick me again? It’s painful and scary, and it looks good just drawing it. Changing the design later would be troublesome.”
Gu Lianchang was slightly irritated but maintained his stance: “I’ll consider it.”
Seeing him soften, Ruan Ning intensified her approach. Her hand slid into his collar, caressing his chest as she said sweetly, “Supervisor promised to forgive me after pricking. You can’t go back on your word. By the way, what did you prick on my body? Can you get a mirror so I can see?”
Gu Lianchang pressed her down and said in a deep voice, “Sleep. Look later.”
Ruan Ning felt nervous. What did he mean? Just sleeping, or something else?
Gu Lianchang flicked his finger to extinguish the candle and lowered the bed curtains. Ruan Ning tensed, waiting for his next move, but he simply turned her over and held her tightly, going to sleep.
Through his neatly dressed clothes, Ruan Ning noticed his body showed no changes and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Eunuch, so what if you draw and prick? A beautiful woman in your arms, touchable but not consumable – it’ll drive you crazy!
Ruan Ning quickly fell asleep after surviving the ordeal.
Gu Lianchang couldn’t sleep. The more he tried not to care, the more he felt her presence. Her calm breathing after falling asleep mocked his helplessness. For her, this was just a transaction; he was becoming obsessed.
Gu Lianchang silently got up and practiced swordplay in the courtyard as the night grew darker.
When Ruan Ning woke up, she found herself back in the inner chamber, fully dressed. Gu Lianchang must have sent her back in the middle of the night. What exactly did this eunuch prick on her?
She jumped out of bed and ran barefoot to the dressing table, gazing into the mirrors. On her white skin was a fierce red character “Stupid.”
Damn eunuch, I’ll kill you! Who would prick such a word on their body?
Furious, she rubbed her waist forcefully, her fingertips soon stained with red. Trying to remove it, she poured osmanthus oil in her palm and continued rubbing. Soon, the characters in the mirror became a blurry red.
A soft cloth gently wiped her skin, restoring its smooth, fair appearance.
Ruan Ning was stunned. He hadn’t actually pricked her; he had just written those two words. Remembering her earlier declaration about unbearable pain, Ruan Ning’s face reddened. Since he couldn’t bear to prick her, it proved he still cared for her. This stubborn eunuch might actually be falling for her.
Ruan Ning revealed a triumphant smile, thinking, just wait, eunuch. You were fierce to me before, but you’ll have a hard time later!
On his way to the Ceremonial Bureau, Gu Lianchang was intercepted by Qin Zhi. She softly called out, “Supervisor Gu, may I have a word?”
Gu Lianchang, weary from not sleeping all night, asked, “What instruction does the Crown Princess have?”
“Regarding the imperial edict for the empress’s enthronement, what is Supervisor’s opinion?” Qin Zhi was always direct with someone who understood.
“His Majesty has already made a decision. As a subject, I should naturally follow through,” Gu Lianchang continued walking.
“Is this edict Supervisor Gu’s intention? Did Supervisor visit the Yikun Palace to ensure the empress’s enthronement would go smoothly?”
Gu Lianchang finally stopped and directly asked, “What does the Crown Princess want?”
“I can support the empress’s enthronement.”
However, I hope Supervisor can reciprocate,” Qin Zhi smiled softly.
Gu Lianchang glanced at her, saying, “I don’t need your support.”
“But if I and the Crown Prince interfere, Supervisor would need to expend much more effort to accomplish this,” Qin Zhi met his gaze, her voice calm. “If we can be friends, there’s no need to be enemies.”
“You can try being my enemy. I won’t care,” Gu Lianchang said, turning away.
Qin Zhi was stunned. She hadn’t expected his refusal. Her proposal seemed to have no drawbacks—unless he didn’t intend to let Wei Shu ascend smoothly.
He was so different from her imagination, seemingly uninterested in consequences or rules, wanting to act purely on his desires. Qin Zhi quickly caught up, unwilling to give up: “Supervisor, with your extraordinary talents, I’ve always admired you. I don’t want to be your enemy. What I want isn’t contradictory to your goals. Why can’t we join forces?”
Gu Lianchang lost patience and quickened his steps, soon disappearing in the distance.
Qin Zhi furrowed her brows, her gaze complex as she looked at his figure, momentarily entranced. Who would have thought the most masculine man in the palace was actually a eunuch? Compared to him, the Emperor and Crown Prince seemed like incompetent cowards.
When the morning court meeting was held, some censors proposed quickly establishing Yu Fei as the Empress to manage harem affairs, arguing it would benefit the Emperor’s condition. This proposal gained support from many officials. However, the Crown Prince’s faction countered that Yu Fei was too young and inexperienced, and her recent arrival in the palace without the Emperor’s favor made the decision hasty. This led to a stalemate with fierce arguments between both sides.
That night, Prince Jin met Gu Lianchang and asked, “Supervisor, what do you think about establishing the Empress?”
“The poisoning of the spirals was done by De Fei’s people on the way,” Gu Lianchang replied abruptly.
Prince Jin, feeling uneasy, said, “My mother was momentarily confused. Please cover this up for me.”
“Everyone who knows about this is in my hands, Prince Jin,” Gu Lianchang stated, “You must support establishing the Empress at tomorrow’s court meeting.”
“What? Is establishing the Empress your idea?” Prince Jin was shocked.
“Establishing the Empress is His Majesty’s decree,” Gu Lianchang said calmly, “As a subject, one must follow the Emperor’s arrangements.”
“But, did my father really mean this?” Prince Jin asked, puzzled.
The position of Empress has been vacant for many years, and my father has never mentioned establishing an Empress before.”
“How can the Emperor’s intentions be something for subjects to speculate about?” Gu Lianchang said decisively, “You support establishing the Empress, and I will help you cover up the matter with De Fei.”
