Chapter Thirty: Time Never Defeats a Beauty

“What’s wrong?”
Chief Steward Huang raised his eyebrows and said, “Are you unwilling to serve as the Empress Dowager’s personal attendant, or are you unwilling to serve her well?”

“I am willing! I am willing to do both!”
Xu Boqing replied with a serious expression, “Chief Steward, I am forever indebted to your kindness. If I ever fail in my duties to the Empress Dowager, you may strike me down with your own hand!”

As he finished, he hastily stepped forward to pour tea for Chief Steward Huang, his respect for the old eunuch sincere and heartfelt.

“That’s enough, that’s enough,” Chief Steward Huang said, though a satisfied smile touched his lips. After spending over a month together, he had come to understand Xu Boqing’s character somewhat.

He sipped his tea, then slid the tray of gold ingots across the table. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but take these back with you. The Palace of Compassion and Tranquility has no lack of wealth.”

Xu Boqing stiffened, bowing as he replied, “Chief Steward, your favor is beyond repayment. How could I take back this token of my gratitude?”

Chief Steward Huang set down his teacup, his tone stern. “Your second uncle’s family is still in the Imperial Prison. Don’t you want to get them out?”

Xu Boqing’s expression shifted. “I do.”

“Do you know what kind of place the Imperial Prison is?” Chief Steward Huang shot him a glance, his tone sharp. “You think you can just talk your way in and get them released? Even if you wear your tongue out and talk a flower out of your mouth, they still won’t let them go!”

He let out a cold snort, tapping the table with his finger. “And what will you rely on then? Isn’t it these things right here?”

“Thank you, Chief Steward, for your guidance.”
Enlightenment dawned on Xu Boqing’s face as he gratefully nodded, making no further protest, but quietly tucked the gold ingots away into his robe.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Chief Steward, do you know how much silver it takes to get someone out of the Imperial Prison?”

“I don’t,” Chief Steward Huang replied, shaking his head. “The Imperial Prison isn’t under our jurisdiction. Tomorrow, you can wear your Flying Fish uniform and go inquire yourself…”

“Yes, sir.”
Xu Boqing nodded. Realizing that the Chief Steward was already hinting for him to leave, and seeing that night had fallen, he refrained from asking more. Bowing, he said, “Then I won’t disturb your rest any further.”

“Very well, off you go.”
Chief Steward Huang waved his hand, but as if remembering something, added with a meaningful glance, “The Empress Dowager isn’t well today and hasn’t left her chambers. You’ve just been appointed as her personal attendant—aren’t you going to check on her?”

“…At once. I’ll go right away.”
Xu Boqing answered awkwardly, then hurriedly took his leave.

Chief Steward Huang watched his retreating figure, a knowing smile spreading across his wrinkled face. Yet the smile faded quickly; his expression shifted, and he tapped his chest several times with sword-fingered hands. Perhaps he pressed too hard, for he coughed into his hand, and when he looked down, a startling crimson stain bloomed in his palm.

He sat at his desk, staring blankly at the blood in his hand, his face turning pale and then ashen. After a long moment, he heaved a heavy sigh…

Xu Boqing returned to his quarters to leave the gold ingots, then made his way to the Empress Dowager’s bedchamber. The old matron at the door, evidently having been informed, greeted him kindly and went in to announce his arrival rather than barring his way.

Before long, the old matron returned, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Eunuch Xu, Her Majesty says her leg ailment has flared up and she doesn’t wish to see you. She asks that you return the way you came.”

Xu Boqing’s face stiffened. He realized that, having sneaked away after their encounter and not visited her all day, it was natural for the Empress Dowager to harbor some resentment.

He pondered outside the chamber for a moment, then bowed and said, “Would you please trouble yourself to relay a message to Her Majesty? Tell her I have a remedy for her leg that I wish to present.”

The old matron hesitated, but at last, gritting her teeth, turned back inside to deliver the message.

“A remedy for my leg?”
The Empress Dowager’s delicate brows knitted at the report.

She had wasted her youthful beauty in the deep palace, surrounded only by old eunuchs and matrons. Though she wore the crown of Empress Dowager, she was, in the end, still a woman with human needs.

Just yesterday, for the first time in over thirty years, she had experienced what it truly meant to live… and had thrown caution to the wind.

Afterward, when her senses returned, her legs felt as though they no longer belonged to her—aching and weak. She had spent the day in her bedchamber, claiming a relapse of her leg disease. Two sets of matrons had taken turns massaging her legs, and though the soreness had lessened, their efforts could not compare to the sensation brought by that insolent young eunuch the night before.

Her mind was torn between fond remembrance and vexation. That heartless scoundrel hadn’t come to see her all day. Even if he had, she would not have seen him… but he ought to have come!

So when she first heard that Eunuch Xu was seeking an audience, she refused him outright, hoping to vent her displeasure.

But now, that “young eunuch” had not left, and was lingering at her door, asking to present a remedy for her leg.

How vexing…

The Empress Dowager’s expression flickered with indecision. The matron behind her, who was combing her hair, ventured cautiously, “Your Majesty, if you do not wish to see him, shall I send Eunuch Xu away?”

The Empress Dowager shot her a glance. “Who says I don’t wish to see him? Let him in.”

“Yes, yes…”
The matron bowed and withdrew.

The Empress Dowager let out a cold snort, her expression unreadable. Before long, she saw the “young eunuch” enter in his Flying Fish uniform.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Xu Boqing was already blessed with fine features, and the Flying Fish uniform—bestowed by the royal house—was embroidered with gold and silver thread in the likeness of flying fish, the height of luxury.

The combination was striking, and even the Empress Dowager had to admit, this “young eunuch” was abundantly gifted—both in substance and in appearance.

“Your humble servant greets Your Majesty.”

At that moment, the Empress Dowager sat before her dressing table. When she caught the fervent look in the young eunuch’s eyes, her heart fluttered and she instinctively drew her legs together.

Once she regained her composure, her embarrassment only deepened. She turned away, refusing to look at him, her voice cold. “What brings you here?”

Xu Boqing noticed the change in her demeanor, and replied gently, “Your servant heard that Your Majesty’s leg was troubling you today. I spent the day consulting various medical texts and have found a remedy to offer Your Majesty.”

Hearing his explanation, the Empress Dowager’s expression softened somewhat, but she maintained a facade of aloofness. “There’s no need. My leg is better now.”

Sensing that her resentment was nearly dispelled, Xu Boqing grew bolder. He walked over, picked up the ivory comb from the dressing table, and began to comb her hair with gentle strokes. “Even if it’s better, it might recur…”

“You…”
The Empress Dowager watched his careful movements in the mirror. The words she intended to deliver with a stern voice caught in her throat, and she could only let out another cold snort.

Xu Boqing toyed with the silky strands in his hand, his expression showing a trace of fascination. He murmured softly, “Your Majesty is truly beautiful.”

“Beautiful?”
The Empress Dowager gazed into the mirror. She had once been renowned for her beauty—otherwise, she would not have been chosen as Empress in her youth. But that was long ago…

Now, she had spent nearly twenty years within these palace walls…

Her eyes grew misty with self-pity. “I am already past my prime. How can I still be called beautiful?”

“When grace resides within, time can never defeat true beauty.”
Xu Boqing set down the ivory comb, knelt gracefully at her side, and gently massaged her leg. In a soft voice, he said, “In my eyes, Your Majesty’s beauty is unrivaled in all the world.”

The Empress Dowager stared at him in surprise. Suddenly, a smile broke through her gloom, and she teased, “I never would have guessed—a ‘young eunuch’ like you is as skilled with words as you are in other arts.”

“In fact…”
Xu Boqing smiled mysteriously. “In fact, I possess yet another unique art. Would Your Majesty care to see it?”

“Oh?”
Interest piqued, the Empress Dowager arched a delicate eyebrow. “And what art is that?”

“Since childhood, I have loved calligraphy and painting,” Xu Boqing explained, smiling. “But I found brush and ink too mundane, so I devised a way to write and paint using only my tongue.”

He paused, then leaned in to whisper beside her ear, “Would Your Majesty do me the honor of letting me demonstrate?”

Feeling his breath against her ear, the Empress Dowager’s breath caught.

She saw the mischievous look in the “young eunuch’s” eyes. She meant to feign anger and assert her authority, but for some reason, the words would not come.

A strange feeling grew stronger in her heart, and her body responded in kind…

Drawing a slow breath, she narrowed her phoenix eyes and said, “I truly have never seen such an art. Show me, then—show me well.”

“I shall not disappoint Your Majesty…”