Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Tug of Details
Year sixteen of Yonghe, August twenty-eighth, clear skies.
Today is an auspicious day, worthy of being recorded.
My name is Xu Genshuo, and this is my forty-first day serving at Cining Palace. Home... home, I dare not think of.
A gentleman hides his talents and acts when the time is right. After more than a month of effort, the door to the Empress Dowager’s “shortcut in life” is finally about to open for me.
Second Uncle, you don’t know how much your nephew has sacrificed to save you. Stay a while longer in the Imperial Prison; once I climb this “shortcut,” I will find a way to rescue you...
And those two from the Eastern Depot, the eunuch surnamed Li and that fat Sun Sheng—you just wait!
Empress Dowager, I am coming...
...
Having finished his diary entry, “My Life as a Eunuch in Cining Palace,” Xu Boqing tossed it onto the bookshelf and went out to check the time. Unknowingly, he waited until the hour of Xu.
He tidied his attire and pushed open the door.
When he reached the Empress Dowager’s bedchamber, he was surprised to find the matron who attended the Empress Dowager was no longer at the entrance.
Perhaps she was moved away specially to ease my nerves?
Thoughtful indeed~
He brushed imaginary creases from his clothes, then gently knocked on the door. Only after hearing the Empress Dowager’s languid voice from within did he push it open and enter.
The chamber was not as austere as it had been in previous days; several layers of gauzy curtains hung down, candlelight flickered, shadows danced, adding an air of mist and mystery.
Through the curtains...
He could faintly see a figure reclining on the phoenix bed, hand propping her cheek—lazily elegant, radiating endless grace.
Xu Boqing crossed the curtain and found the Empress Dowager still half-reclined on the phoenix bed, her eyes half-closed as though resting, saying nothing.
He smiled faintly; of course, he did not believe she was truly resting. Her hairpins and phoenix crown had not been removed, nor had she changed out of her regal robes.
At this moment, he could not possibly be ignorant of what was expected of him. So, he asked softly, “Your Majesty, are you weary?”
The Empress Dowager, Chen, did not even lift her eyes, merely murmured an “mm” through her nose, tacitly acknowledging.
Xu Boqing smiled, unfazed. “I know a method from my hometown, a massage technique for acupoints. It relieves fatigue and invigorates the meridians, remarkably effective. Would Your Majesty care to try?”
“Oh?”
The Empress Dowager uttered a surprised sound, her phoenix eyes opening to glance at him. She sat up languidly, half-smiling. “You make it sound so intriguing, I’d like to try this country method of yours.”
“Please wait a moment, Your Majesty…”
...
Xu Boqing smiled and bowed himself out through the curtain, found a silver basin, poured in hot water, and placed it before the phoenix bed.
You know my intentions are not pure; I know you are feigning reserve...
He spoke little. Under the Empress Dowager’s curious gaze, he knelt to test the water’s temperature, then removed her shoes and socks, setting them aside.
Cradling those delicate feet, he was momentarily dazed—the skin from the foot to the ankle and calf was pale as cream, smooth as jade, the arch beautifully curved, her ten toes tender as pearls.
Unconsciously, his breath grew heavier; he suppressed the heat in his heart and gently massaged her feet in the hot water.
The Empress Dowager felt a tingling itch at the soles, her brows knitting in a soft hum. Instinctively, she tried to withdraw her feet, only to find her ankles held firmly by the “little eunuch.”
“You must bear with it a bit longer, Your Majesty…”
Xu Boqing sensed her discomfort, smiling as he explained, “It’s normal to feel some itchiness at first—it will soon ease, and then you will feel the benefits.”
“Mm…”
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, murmured another “mm,” and suppressed her unease, beginning to savor the sensation.
At first, the itch was uncomfortable, but as it eased, she felt a warm current spread from her soles to her limbs...
The pressure was neither too light nor too heavy; it seemed to open every pore, leaving her thoroughly relaxed...
“This country method does have merit.”
“I’m glad Your Majesty likes it…”
“Indeed…”
The Empress Dowager seemed to recall something, suddenly asking, “How is the wound on your arm?”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It has healed completely, not even leaving a scar.”
“Very well…”
Xu Boqing, under the guise of massage, played with those jade-like feet. The tender toes changed shape in his hands, delighting him…
Seeing the Empress Dowager’s eyes half-closed, enjoying the foot therapy, he slowly moved his hands from her feet to her ankles.
Her body only trembled slightly, showing no obvious resistance…
He smiled, and after kneading her ankles, moved up to her calves…
Now the Empress Dowager’s breathing quickened. She could feel those distinct, elegant fingers possessed a special magic—pressing just right, impossible to resist...
From feet to ankles, then ankles to calves, the strange sensation intensified, like a cat’s paw teasing her heartstrings…
She even began to anticipate…
...
Yet after some time, she found those hands only massaged near her calves. They seemed on the verge of crossing the line, but always retreated at the critical moment.
Utterly vexing...
The Empress Dowager opened her phoenix eyes and stared at him. “Xu Boqing, lift your head so I may see you properly.”
Xu Boqing feigned ignorance, raising his head and asking, “Was my pressure off, Your Majesty?”
“The pressure was perfect.”
The Empress Dowager nodded, her words laden with meaning. “Chief Huang said that as a child, you were taught by a divine being in your dreams, possessing extraordinary arts. Is this true?”
Xu Boqing nodded. “Indeed, I possess such arts…”
“I have lived in the palace for years and never heard of anyone taught by a divine being. I am quite curious.”
Her voice paused as she leaned forward on the phoenix bed, gazing into his eyes. “Show me—demonstrate your extraordinary arts…”
With the words spoken thus, Xu Boqing dropped any pretense of propriety. He lowered his head and softly kissed the beauty in his hands…
He turned, slid one arm beneath the Empress Dowager’s knees, the other around her waist, and with a tender cry, swept her onto the phoenix couch…
A breeze stirred…
The candles in the chamber flickered and dimmed…
Beyond the bedchamber, in the shadows, Chief Huang in his python robe withdrew his sleeve, dispelling the internal power he’d used to enhance his hearing.
Shaking his head, he was about to return to his room, when dark lines appeared suddenly on his face. His expression changed as he hastily suppressed the shadowy poison within, clinging to his flesh like a malignant growth…
He looked down, pulling open his collar, and upon seeing the jet-black palm print on his chest, his expression darkened.
He was eighty-four years old; though his internal skills were deep, he could not escape the decline of his vital energy. The last duel with Cui Feng had not been nearly as easy as he claimed…
The palm print was left by Cui Feng at the moment of his death!
The poison embedded in the print seemed to have fused with flesh and blood—even for him, it was a troublesome adversary, difficult to eradicate.
These days...
He’d searched for a solution but found little, able only to suppress the poison, keeping it from spreading through his body, slowly dissipating it with internal energy.
Chief Huang, having suppressed the anomaly within, glanced at the Empress Dowager’s bedchamber, automatically filtering out the faint sounds of pleasure…
He sighed softly and departed…