Seventeen Eunuchs Resemble Celebrities

When Lingran told her risqué joke, Peng Lun happened to be walking up to the courtyard gate. He couldn’t quite explain why he had silently followed the girls, but inwardly he justified it as being for the greater good, for the emperor—he needed to observe the chosen candidates more closely, to ensure there were no mistakes.

Yet this woman was so unabashed, telling a bawdy story no girl should dare utter!

It was infuriating!

Peng Lun watched Lingran laughing in a way that utterly lacked decorum, his anger rising beyond measure. Stunned, he stood there for a moment, then abruptly turned and left.

After two months of "training," Lingran had drawn the following conclusions:

The best dancers were Li Tangmei and Shen Zhu, but because Shen Zhu was the more dominant personality, Li Tangmei didn't dare compete with her. Thus, Shen Zhu led most of the group dances. The finest in calligraphy and painting was Mo Han, with Xu Shanqian and Shen Zhu close behind. Surprisingly, the best at debates and scholarly discourse was also Li Tangmei—truly, a hidden talent. Xu Shanqian excelled most in music and chess. The best cooks were Yuan’er and Luo Xianghong: Yuan’er was exceptional at Sichuan cuisine, while Luo Xianghong mastered dishes from all over the country. Both were equally skilled in household tasks such as weaving, embroidery, and tailoring.

Poetry and verse were the strengths of Mo Han, Shen Zhu, Xu Shanqian, and Li Tangmei. Lingran herself remembered little of poems written after the Ming dynasty and would only show off her knowledge at critical moments.

This left the most “useless” ones—Biqing, Mo Suxian, Wu Yunxian, and Lingran herself.

Over the past two months, Lingran had not only observed everyone around her but also carefully explored the terrain of the Xun Yun Villa, inquiring about its location and the situation outside. The place was only twenty li from the capital, with an imperial garrison nearby and some farmsteads in the vicinity. The land was flat, making escape and hiding difficult. Anyone planning to run would need a horse, otherwise the chances of being caught were high. Moreover, a lone girl riding out would attract too much attention, and she had no money at all.

Preparations were not easy. Besides, after spending so much time together, she had grown attached to Biqing, Yuan’er, Li Tangmei, and the others; leaving them behind would be hard. The thought of solitary escape made her anxious, yet recalling the dangers of her undercover mission, the urge to flee still prevailed.

She used the excuse of wanting to learn horseback riding and would head to the stables whenever she had time, but her nemesis Mo Suxian seemed almost possessed, always showing up there as well, ruining Lingran’s chances to tamper with the stables.

That girl was truly insufferable!

One evening, the concubines sat together in the house. Shen Zhu and Xu Shanqian whispered quietly to each other, while Lingran, unable to keep still, drew a stack of cards and started a simple game of Three Kingdoms Kill with Biqing and the others.

It had taken Lingran several evenings to teach them this game. Back in the hospital, bored and sharing a room with three other patients, she’d played a version with one leader, one rebel, and one spy, and it was always lively.

Biqing, Li Tangmei, and the others were quickly captivated by her “invention.” Whenever they had a moment, they’d drag Lingran into a game, making it even harder for her to act alone.

As they played merrily, Shen Zhu shot them a look of disgust and said, “That Mo girl has finally learned to behave herself—if she wants to be annoying, she hides outside alone. Are you lot ever going to let anyone rest?”

Yuan’er and Li Tangmei quickly apologized, while Biqing replied, “Sister Shen, it’s still early, isn’t it? Besides, we’re not being loud.”

Shen Zhu’s delicate brows arched, clearly about to lash out.

Just then, Madam Xu entered with a lantern, smiling as she came in. “General Peng asked me to deliver a message: In two days, Prime Minister Chu will celebrate his fiftieth birthday. You ladies should rest well these days, and tomorrow dress up nicely. Supervisor Liu will come in person to inspect you.”

Madam Xu had become far more polite than when the girls first arrived. Lingran guessed it was because she knew the precious concubines were to be sent to the Prime Minister’s mansion—a classic opportunist, wary of offending anyone who might rise to power in the future.

Except for Lingran, the others all rose to salute Madam Xu, murmuring “Understood,” “Thank you for your guidance,” and so on. Upon hearing they would be sent to the Prime Minister’s mansion, Shen Zhu and the others actually looked overjoyed, which puzzled Lingran greatly.

Madam Xu smiled broadly, nodding to each in turn. When her gaze landed on Lingran, she said, “Miss Zhang, your father sent some things for you. Come with me.”

Lingran was taken aback—she hadn’t expected Zhang Ning to still acknowledge the daughter sold off as a singing concubine—but she stood up and followed.

Once they left the main house and had walked a bit, Lingran realized Madam Xu wasn’t leading her toward her own quarters but out of the compound. Curious, she asked, “Where are you taking me, Madam?”

Madam Xu paused. “The general instructed me to tell you to go over for a talk. You know where his residence is—go there yourself.” With that, she thrust the lantern into Lingran’s hands and strode off without another word.

All around was silent; aside from the circle of dim yellow light cast by the lantern, everything was pitch black. Lingran glanced around, suddenly realizing this might be her best chance to escape. Her heart hammered, her breath growing ragged with tension.

Just as she was about to abandon the lantern and slip toward the corner wall, a “meow” rang out—a stray cat darted past her feet and scrambled onto a nearby rooftop, giving Lingran quite a fright.

Ever since her arrival in this world, Lingran had grown a bit superstitious. She stood there for a long moment, feeling that meeting a cat was an ill omen. If Madam Xu had been sent to test her, things would get complicated. So she decided against sneaking away for now and continued toward the front courtyard.

Before she even reached Peng Lun’s residence, Lingran noticed many men standing outside the small courtyard, dressed in the official uniforms of the Ming dynasty—she thought they looked rather like the attire of the Imperial Guards. They stood straight and vigilant, the courtyard ablaze with light, the atmosphere unmistakably tense, as if a great figure had arrived.

“Who goes there?!” she hadn’t even gotten close when a guard barked at her.

Lingran composed herself. “General Peng summoned me.” She walked calmly through the flower-lined path.

As she drew nearer, she saw these men, though handsome and imposing in their noble attire, were all pale-faced and clean-shaven. Unlike the exaggerated face paint of eunuchs in Hong Kong films, their makeup was subtle, but the style was almost identical—she guessed they were all eunuchs.

“What a pity,” she muttered inwardly. Some of them were quite good-looking—one even resembled Chen Kun, so handsome, yet a eunuch! How unfortunate!

As she shook her head and sighed, a voice from inside called, “Miss Zhang, please come in.” The tone was unexpectedly polite, even using the word “please.”

Lingran thought, everyone says Xun Yun Villa was a property granted by the late emperor to Liu Yongcheng, and judging by the scene, the person inside was probably the Chief of the West Bureau. Peng Lun had already made clear she was to be sent undercover to the Prime Minister’s mansion; the other day, Captain Song had said she was to be the host for some insect spirit. Now, being summoned, perhaps they planned to force her to take poison for easier control?

Fearful as she was, Lingran still kept a calm face and entered the main house of the small courtyard.