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Dawn filtered quietly through the cracks of the small window, yet within the chamber, the brilliance of candlelight rendered its gentle glow colorless. In the hall, painted screens stood as partitions, and sandalwood incense, warmed by the flames, released tendrils of fragrance that suffused the air, carrying with them a hint of temple-like serenity. It ought to have been a beautiful morning, yet Liu Chuyan found herself bound to a large bed, terror in her eyes as he drew slowly closer.
Two months prior, Zhao Panyu had forcibly taken her as a concubine. She had resolved herself to accept fate—after all, Zhao was a capable man, and his affection for her was genuine. But fate took a cruel turn: On the wedding night itself, Zhao Panyu, Prefect of Shuntian, was suddenly imprisoned due to upheaval at court. That very night, Zhao’s first wife had Liu Chuyan spirited away to this unfamiliar compound, where she heard the maids outside refer to the master of the house as "His Excellency Ninth Thousand."
The man before her was none other than Wei Wuliang, notorious throughout the land—a eunuch wielding power second only to the Emperor. Though emasculated, he was the true authority behind the throne, aided by Lady Fengxian, the Emperor’s nursemaid and his confidante. The young and feckless Emperor Zhu Youdun devoted his days to carpentry and construction, leaving all matters of state to Wei Wuliang’s ruthless discretion.
“My little darling, you are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Wei Wuliang murmured, retrieving a porcelain bottle from