Cao Gonggong had his back facing the courtyard gate, and the sound of cicadas drowned out the footsteps of those behind him. He stood in front of Su Mi and glanced at her name tag.
“You are Su Mi.”
“Yes.”
Since he had already received benefits from Magistrate Cui and had no chance of climbing higher, Cao Gonggong’s tone was naturally not very friendly.
“Raise your hand and lift your head up; why are you looking down?”
“Okay.” Su Mi was careful with her words and quickly raised her head.
But in that instant, Cao Gonggong’s heart skipped a beat. Not only did she have a willowy waist and a graceful bearing, but her appearance was also first-rate. The beauty that emanated from her eyebrows, eyes, cherry lips, and every inch of her being was natural and effortless. If he weren’t an eunuch with fewer emotions, he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her.
“However…” Cao Gonggong felt the word “however” choke him in his throat. This was not a “however.” This was clearly passing with flying colours!
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Fw Yk oyp dlahswp yv vbl xsxldv, yde bla tygl oydelale vs vbl rlapsd oyzjkdt vsoyaep Uys Qsdttsdt qasx clbkde.
Rp kv bkx?!
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Uys Qsdttsdt blpkvyvle qsa y zsdt vkxl. Wsa vbl pyjl sq xsdlu, bl vbswtbv bl nswze zkl okvb y nzlya nsdpnkldnl. Jwv obld psxlsdl ypjle bkx ekalnvzu, vbl osae “bsolhla” pzkrrle swv sq bkp xswvb. Tl zssjle wr yv vbl rlapsd yde oyp ps pnyale vbyv bl jdlzv esod sd vbl prsv.
“R alprlnvqwzzu tallv vbl nbklq; R eke dsv jdso vbyv vbl nbklq oyp nsxkdt, yde R qykzle vs alnlkhl usw rasrlazu!”
Uys Qsdttsdt jdlzv sd vbl taswde, dsv eyakdt vs zkqv bkp blye. Mbl lwdwnbp kd vbl ryzynl yzz jdlo vbl Ubklq sq vbl Oypvlad Jwalyw, Ckd Zyd. Mbl svbla plzlnvle tkazp jlrv vblka blyep esod, yde yzvbswtb Uys Qsdttsdt’p hsknl oyp dsv zswe, vbl iwklv yvxsprblal yzzsole xspv rlsrzl vs blya vbl keldvkvu sq vbl hkpkvsa. Mblu yzz zktbvzu pyzwvle bkx, vyjkdt yehydvytl sq vbl kxrlakyz qyhswa okvbswv byhkdt vs rlaqsax vbl tayde nlalxsdu zkjl Uys Qsdtsdt.
Xdzu Fw Yk’p lxsvksdp olal nsxrzknyvle. Gzvbswtb pbl jdlo bl oyp y bktb sqqknkyz, pbl dlhla lmrlnvle bkx vs cl vbl nbklq sq vbl Oypvlad Jwalyw. Kkysgbsw oyp rasprlaswp, okvb y nsdpvydv qzso sq nyaakytlp yde bsaplp, yde dlop vayhlzzle iwknjzu. Jwv kd vbl prsayekn awxswap pbl bye blyae, bl oyp yd wdqsatkhyczl hkzzykd. Ebu eked’v pbl vbkdj bl oyp vbyv cye?
Ysalshla, bl oyp yd lwdwnb, ps bl oyp ekqqlaldv qasx saekdyau xld yde pllxle wdzkjlzu vs byhl sqqprakdt.
Su Mi’s face turned red for no reason. Why did she care if he had offspring or not? Why was she thinking so much?
As she was lost in thought, Qin Yan glanced casually at Su Mi’s nameplate in Cao Gonggong’s hand and said, “Get up, Chen En.”
“Report to the Chief; Chen Gonggong is on duty in the morning.”
They were both sent to Jiaozhou by the inner eunuch supervisor. After selecting a total of one hundred people today, their mission in Jiaozhou was complete.
“You haven’t answered me yet; did she pass or not?”
Cao Gonggong wondered. If he said she didn’t pass, and the chief asked him why, how could he explain it? Her figure and appearance had no flaws. What could he say? And with Magistrate Cui standing behind the supervisor, he dared not take another glance. It seemed that he would have to wait for another round of selection.
He swallowed hard and forced out the words, “Reporting to the Chief, pass!”
Upon hearing the response, Qin Yan’s smile faded instantly.
“Magistrate Cui, you may leave first. I’ll take a look by myself for a while.”
He walked under the green tile roof, and his attendant, Feng Bao, followed him. Feng Bao fetched a chair for Qin Yan, and he sat down, calmly gazing towards Su Mi’s side.
Magistrate Cui didn’t know that the woman in front of him was Su Mi, who had been rejected by the Zhou family as a bride-to-be. He also didn’t notice that Qin Yan’s aura had lowered. Cui Manshu retreated to the other side without disturbing them.
Cao Gonggong was already examining the next person, and Qin Yan’s eyes were fixed on Su Mi. He was not pleased. Cui Manshu had rushed to send someone to him. If the person became a court lady, what was the point? Did Cui Manshu have other intentions, or was he teaching her to play hard to get? Hmm, she was becoming interesting.
Su Mi felt Qin Yan’s gaze but didn’t dare to look at him. Just thinking about the scene when they first met made her heart race, and she could almost hear her own heartbeat.
Finally, Cao Gonggong finished examining the last person. The original fifty or so people had dwindled down to around thirty. Su Mi thought it was over, but then there was suddenly a commotion around her.
Feng Bao saw Qin Yan frown and look in that direction, so he explained in a timely manner, “Chief, this servant heard from an old person in the palace before that initially, the court ladies are chosen based on their appearance, but then they will also screen those with birthmarks and scars.”
In fact, Feng Bao had only recently joined the Imperial Palace eunuch monitor, so he only had a vague understanding of this matter. Eunuchs from various states generally only checked certain parts of the body, such as the neck and wrists. As for the physical examination, it was usually left to the old midwives in the capital to check.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yan’s frown deepened.
The noise gradually subsided, but there were still several women in the queue who looked unhappy, especially the daughters of a few small county officials who had been spoiled since childhood and acted recklessly in the county.
“Although he is a eunuch, different from ordinary men, how can we show our bodies to others?”
“Fortunately, I heard that we only need to take off our inner clothes.”
“Ah, there’s no way. When we enter the palace, I heard that eunuchs have to serve us while we take a bath.”
Su Mi was at the end of the line, listening to the discussion coming from the front. Having experienced the incident where Su Xian drugged her, wearing only an inner garment for the body check meant nothing to her. But…
She looked at the scar on the palm of her hand. Although it had been treated with medicine for several days, even the best medicine wouldn’t take effect so quickly.
What if she was disqualified because of this? What should she do?
Su Mi was lost in thought, but Feng Bao had already called her twice before she snapped back to reality. She remembered that he was one of Qin Yan’s people.
“Miss Su, our supervisor is calling you over.”
“Me?” Su Mi looked at Feng Bao’s kind nod and came out of the line with suspicion.
Feng Bao was meticulous and thoughtful. He walked with large strides when following Qin Yan, but now he slowed down with Su Mi, leading her all the way to the inner room where Qin Yan was without stopping. Su Mi didn’t even have time to catch her breath.
The interior decoration of the room was simple, in line with the yard outside. There was only one table and one bed, and a half-closed window that made the room somewhat dark.
Sitting at the table, Qin Yan’s handsome face was divided in half by the light and shadow that came in through the window, creating a sculptural beauty. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, tempting and elusive in the shadows.
Standing at the door, Su Mi was a little stunned and forgot to approach.
“Come over here,” Qin Yan said, his lips parting slightly.
“Close the door.”
Su Mi turned back and closed the door, then slowly moved forward.
“Greetings, My Lord,” she bowed.
“Why are you so far away from me? Are you afraid of me?” Qin Yan’s tone was not pleased, still in the mood from earlier.
Su Mi, with her cheeks rosy from the sun, half-turned her head and stated in a respectful tone, “I dare not, my lord.” She unconsciously pursed her lips and took two more steps forward, leaving only about three feet between her and Qin Yan, a distance that was not too close or too far, but enough to make people itch.
It wasn’t that she was too cautious. When they met at the restaurant, she could pretend not to know Qin Yan’s high official status. But this time was different, and his reputation didn’t seem to be very good.
However, Qin Yan saw Su Mi’s cautiousness as something else.
“Did Cui Manshu teach you to seduce me like this?” Qin Yan looked at Su Mi’s blushing face and the clothes that were sticking to her skin due to the thin sweat, sneering. “Eunuchs don’t fall for women’s tricks like this.”
Upon hearing this, Su Mi’s face flushed with both anger and embarrassment. Her true nature was not as gentle and submissive as she pretended to be, but since she had already had some open and honest exchanges with Qin Yan, she no longer felt the need to be overly formal: “My lord, no one taught me, and I never thought of…seducing you.”
Su Mi couldn’t bring herself to say the word “seduce,” and besides, when did she ever try to seduce him? The first time, she was a victim, and the second time, she didn’t do anything.
Qin Yan saw her return to her natural state, the angry expression that couldn’t do anything to him, like a white rabbit caught in his hand, struggling with her feet but unable to escape his grasp.He liked that feeling, so he even let go of his previous frustration.
“You denied it so quickly; is it shameful to seduce this Lord?”
“Not shameful, but I didn’t do it.”
When Qin Yan heard the three words “not shameful,” he smiled and added a hint of teasing to his tone: “Oh?”
Su Mi realized her words were inappropriate after she had said them, but she couldn’t take them back, so she repeated softly, “I didn’t do it.”
Qin Yan, however, didn’t want to let her go so easily. “Since you didn’t, why not give it a try?”
He gestured towards the bed with his eyes. “Go and take off your clothes.”
What?! Su Mi stared at Qin Yan in bewilderment.
Qin Yan leaned back leisurely in his chair, keeping his gaze fixed on the flustered woman in front of him for a while before finally letting a smile spread across his lips.
“Are you asking me to conduct the physical examination for you, or do you want them to do it?” he asked.
Ah, so that was it. Su Mi breathed a sigh of relief. Why couldn’t he just say it outright? It was like he was intentionally teasing her.
Of course, she would rather have Qin Yan conduct the examination. Even though they were both eunuchs, at least he had seen her before. She removed her outer garments, remembering what she had been told about keeping her inner garments on.
“Continue,” Qin Yan said.
“My Lord, they said I only need to remove my outer garments,” Su Mi blurted out.
“Who performs the examination is up to the one who commands it,” he replied.
Su Mi regretted her decision. She should have just let them do it.
She took her time undoing her belt. Even though she was more open-minded than most women and Qin Yan had seen her in her most disheveled state, it still didn’t feel quite right. As she was about to take off her clothing, Qin Yan slowly stood up. His tall figure cast a shadow over her, and his long, slender, pale hand, with its distinct knuckles and a faint scent of sandalwood, came up to her chest. He reached over and re-tied her sash, his eyes downcast and his long lashes fluttering, casting deep shadows on his face.
His gaze trailed down her exposed collarbone and to her chest. His fingers danced around her chest, barely an inch away from her bosom, occasionally brushing against her softness as she breathed in.
“On that day, I had seen enough. I’ll let you skip today’s checkup,” he said, as the scent of sandalwood emanating from him wafted into Su Mi’s nose. She wondered if she had been drugged again, as her body and mind felt hot.
“Go put on your outer garment,” he instructed.
“Huh?” Su Mi was a bit dazed, looking down at the already-tied collar on her chest. “Oh.”
She picked up her outer garment from beside her and put it on while bowing her head. After calming her thoughts, she asked softly, “My Lord, can I pass?”
Qin Yan had already sat back at the table, his expression indifferent, as if what had just happened were a trivial matter.
“If you possess an ardent desire to become a court lady, I could consider granting you permission to pass. Would that be agreeable to you?” he inquired.
“Really?”
Su Mi inquired, her eyes wide with excitement.
Qin Yan lifted his eyelids and looked into her eyes. Her hopeful expression made his voice unconsciously turn cold.
“You are quite bold,” he said. “Giving yourself away to someone and still wanting to enter the palace as a consort”
Bold indeed. What does he mean? He couldn’t have chosen her as a court lady if he didn’t want her.
Su Mi didn’t know why Qin Yan suddenly became unhappy. In fact, she didn’t want to be a court lady, and she also didn’t want to marry Li Xiuyuan.
After a moment of silence, Su Mi bowed her head and dared not respond.
“You may go now,” Qin Yan said.
“Yes,” Su Mi replied, feeling as though she had just been pardoned and hurrying away, afraid of inadvertently angering him again.
Qin Yan watched as Su Mi disappeared through the door, his eyes darkening. There seemed to be a soft and delicate touch left on his hand that was hidden in his sleeve.
“Feng Bao.”
“Here, My Lord.” Feng Bao approached from outside the door.
“Tell Cao Gonggong that Su Mi doesn’t need to be tested again; let her pass.”
“Understood.”
“Also, give her my cloak.” Qin Yan paused, “and put it on her.”
“…..Okay.”
The misunderstanding! 🤣