When Zhong Li opened his eyes again, the morning light outside the window filtered through the tattered window paper, casting dappled shadows on the ground. He wiggled his fingers; the cotton mattress beneath him felt rough yet surprisingly soft. But when he tried to roll over slightly, a dull ache surged from his lower back and abdomen—it was the bruise from kneeling on the ground during the system's punishment yesterday. He slowly sat up, his gaze sweeping carefully across the small room, a twinge of sadness welling up in his chest.
The room was no more than ten square feet. Half a bundle of firewood, still dotted with mud and dead leaves, was piled in the corner. A chipped wooden table stood by the window, its surface scored with a deep crack, as if struck by a heavy object. Two stools with missing legs leaned against the table; one of them was barely held together with hemp rope, clearly having been used for years. The only cabinet was made of old pine wood, and a faded yellow talisman was pasted on its door, its edges curled—no one knew if it was meant to ward off evil or was just a decoration. This was his "home" in this unfamiliar dynasty, so shabby it reminded him of the less-than-ten-square-meter basement he had rented right after college. But back then, at least he'd had electric lights, a water heater, and a phone to stay connected to the modern world. Now, all he had was the musty smell filling the room and an overwhelming sense of oppression.
The tearing pain from last night still seemed to linger in his bones. Zhong Li instinctively touched his lower abdomen, and the feel of his fingertips made his heart sink. He remembered his current identity—a eunuch, someone who had lost the most basic traits of a man. In his previous life, he had been proud of his 19-centimeter size and a talented young entrepreneur who had started his own company. But now, he was a lowly servant in the palace, at the mercy of everyone, and even forced by a bizarre system to "curry favor with the tyrant."
[Host, you're finally awake?] The system's mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind, laced with a deliberate tease. [You fainted for the whole night just from that little punishment—your body is really too weak. It seems I'll have to arrange more "training" for you in the future, otherwise how will you handle the subsequent tasks?]
Zhong Li snapped back to his senses, recalling this "cheat code" that had forced him to accept the task. He suppressed his anger and retorted mentally: "Shut up! If you have the guts, materialize and try it yourself! That pain felt like my internal organs were being twisted together—you wouldn't be able to stand it either!"
[Host, this system has no physical form, so naturally I can't feel pain.] The system's voice remained light, as if talking about something trivial. [But don't be angry. Have you figured it out now? As long as you accept the task, you'll not only be exempt from future punishments, but also get many benefits—for example, regaining the "pride" you had in your previous life. You know what I mean.]
The system emphasized the word "pride" in a particularly ambiguous tone, and Zhong Li's ears burned instantly. In his previous life, he had never cared about this aspect, but after transmigrating into a eunuch, it had become his deepest regret. He thought of the mirror in his modern bathroom and his former appearance, then compared it to his current situation, a heavy feeling welling up in his chest. What's more, he had no choice—refusing the task meant enduring that severe pain repeatedly, and he might even die from it one day. Accepting the task, at the very least, gave him a chance to survive and a possibility of regaining his normal body.
Besides, he was a professional acting major. During college, he had played roles ranging from street rogues to wealthy young masters—what kind of "flatterer" hadn't he portrayed? Even if his target was Ying Zheng, who would become a tyrant in the future, he was confident he could play the role of a "loyal eunuch" well—even though Ying Zheng's facial features always reminded him of the good friend who had rejected him in his previous life.
After sorting out these thoughts, Zhong Li took a deep breath and calmed his tone: "I accept the task."
[Great! Host, you're really a sensible person!] The system's voice instantly became cheerful, as if it had finally met some KPI target. [Then let me clarify the task for you: the core is to cling tightly to the protagonist Ying Zheng. First, gain his trust, then help him in his struggle for the throne and assist him in successfully ascending it. Every time you complete a phased task, the system will issue rewards. In addition to restoring your body, you can also unlock benefits like books and skills! This task is really simple—it's just staying by Ying Zheng's side to boost your favorability. Come on!]
Zhong Li curled his lips mentally. Simple? That was a future tyrant who killed without blinking an eye, and he still harbored so much hostility toward "himself" now. This wasn't about boosting favorability; it was clearly dancing on the tip of a knife. He was just about to ask the system if there was a specific "favorability-boosting strategy" when the door suddenly creaked open.
A young eunuch, around fifteen years old, walked in carrying a chipped pottery bowl. A piece was missing from the edge of the bowl, exposing the rough clay inside. The young eunuch's eyes were red, tears still clinging to the tip of his nose, and his face was covered in dust—clearly, he had been crying for a long time. When he looked up and saw Zhong Li was awake, he froze for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up with ecstatic joy. He hurried to the bedside, grabbed Zhong Li's hand, and said in a tearful voice: "Brother Zhong! You're finally awake! I thought… I thought you'd never wake up again!"
Zhong Li felt a slight pain from his grip but didn't pull away. He looked at this unfamiliar yet somewhat timid face, nodded silently, and quickly racked his brain—who was this? The novel seemed to mention that the original owner had a small follower by his side, but he couldn't remember the follower's specific name or what he had done.
"Brother Zhong, you have no idea how scary yesterday was," the young eunuch wiped his tears, his voice 断断续续,sniffling between sentences. "When I saw you on the palace road, you were lying on the ground twitching all over, your face as pale as paper, and your hands were scratching the ground—your fingernails were full of blood. I was so scared my legs went weak, but I managed to carry you back with great effort. You're so much heavier than me; when I was carrying you, my waist almost broke."
He paused, grabbed Zhong Li's hand, and pressed it to his own waist: "Look, it still hurts here. But I don't care—I just want you to be okay. I wanted to ask an imperial physician to check on you, but when I ran to the head eunuch's quarters, he not only refused to let me get one, but also scolded me for meddling. He said, 'If a cleaning eunuch dies, so be it. Drag him to the mass grave to feed the wild dogs—don't let him bring bad luck.'"
At this point, tears rolled down the young eunuch's cheeks again. He gripped Zhong Li's hand even tighter, his tone tinged with stubbornness: "Brother Zhong, you're the only person in the palace who's ever saved me. When I first entered the palace that year, I was bullied by a few old eunuchs. They pinned me by the well and almost pushed me in—it was you who rushed over and chased them away. If you're gone, I, Xia Zhi, won't want to live either. I'll definitely follow you to the mass grave!"
Xia Zhi? Zhong Li finally remembered. The novel had indeed mentioned this young eunuch in the first few chapters. The original owner had accidentally seen Xia Zhi being bullied and helped him out casually, and since then, Xia Zhi had been devoted to the original owner. But the original owner had never valued this loyalty; his only thoughts were of climbing the ranks and amassing wealth. Later, in order to curry favor with the old eunuch in charge of the imperial kitchen—a man infamously fond of men—the original owner had directly "packaged" Xia Zhi and sent him over. The novel had described it vaguely, only saying that Xia Zhi "couldn't bear the humiliation and died three days later." But Zhong Li could tell just by thinking—Xia Zhi must have been tortured to death.
At the thought of this, Zhong Li silently cursed the original owner's selfishness and cruelty in his heart. He composed himself, deliberately put on a stern expression, and reprimanded Xia Zhi in a slightly harsh tone: "Nonsense! Is your life so worthless? You just talk about dying like that? Let me tell you—you have to live well, do you hear me?"
Xia Zhi was startled by his sudden harshness. He stared blankly at Zhong Li, his mouth slightly agape, confusion written all over his face: "Brother Zhong, you… you seem different today. You've never spoken to me like this before. You either call me stupid or hit me directly…"
Zhong Li's heart skipped a beat—oh no, he'd almost given himself away. He quickly imitated the original owner's usual arrogant and unreasonable tone, frowned, and snapped: "What? Do you think you can question me? Are you itching for a beating? Want me to hit you again?" As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently patted Xia Zhi's cheek.
The moment he did it, he regretted it—the original owner had always hit people hard, but his pat was as light as a tickle, even a little awkward, nothing like the original's style. He waited nervously for Xia Zhi's reaction, afraid of being exposed. To his surprise, Xia Zhi just grinned, wiped his tears, and revealed two small tiger teeth: "Got it! I won't talk nonsense anymore! Brother Zhong, if you're okay, get up quickly. We haven't cleaned the west area yet. If we don't finish the work before dark, the head eunuch won't give us food, and we'll even be punished to kneel by the palace wall!"
Only then did Zhong Li remember that he wasn't the powerful Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies described in the novel—he was just a lowly cleaning eunuch in the palace, forced to do the hardest work, eat the coarsest food, and endure beatings and punishments at the slightest mistake. He nodded, and was about to get out of bed when he realized his shoes were gone—they were a pair of old cloth shoes, their soles almost worn through, and they must have fallen off on the palace road when he fainted yesterday.
"My shoes…" He had just opened his mouth when Xia Zhi quickly said: "Don't worry, Brother Zhong! When I carried you back yesterday, I made sure to go back and pick up your shoes. They're drying at the door now. They got muddy yesterday, so I washed them clean for you."
Looking at Xia Zhi's cautious manner, a warm current surged through Zhong Li's heart. He suddenly thought that having such a loyal little follower in this cold palace might not be a bad thing. His tone softened: "Sit down and rest for a while first. Drink some water. I'll go with you as soon as I get dressed."
Xia Zhi nodded quickly, picked up the pottery bowl on the table, gulped down two sips of water, then looked up at Zhong Li with bright eyes, like a puppy that had received approval: "Brother Zhong, you really are different today. Before, you never asked if I was thirsty or hungry. You even always told me not to tell anyone about our relationship outside, saying I'd embarrass you. But today, you not only let me rest, but also cared if I'd drunk water…"
Listening to the original owner's past actions, Zhong Li felt a tightness in his chest. He could imagine how this thin young eunuch had been scolded and beaten by the original owner in the past, and how carefully he had tried to please him. Zhong Li said softly: "I was wrong before. I was such a jerk. From now on, I'll treat you twice as well—I'll never hit you or scold you again. We don't have to hide from others; we can walk together openly outside. If you want to act coquettishly with me, that's fine too—I'll agree to anything."
Xia Zhi froze, his eyes turning red instantly, but no tears fell. He just shook his head vigorously: "No, it's better not! I'm afraid I'll get you into trouble. I'm so stupid. Last time when I was cleaning, I accidentally broke a palace porcelain vase. It was you, Brother Zhong, who took the blame for me and got twenty heavy blows from the head eunuch. If I get even closer to you now, and if I make a mistake again, I'll definitely get you into trouble…"
Zhong Li's heart ached. He got up, walked over to Xia Zhi, and gently patted his head—a gesture that carried a touch of modern intimacy. Xia Zhi clearly froze, his body stiffening for a few seconds before slowly relaxing. He leaned his head lightly against Zhong Li's hand. "You don't want others to know you have a brother like me?" Zhong Li asked softly.
Xia Zhi shook his head hard: "I do! I really do! Every time I see other eunuchs having brothers to protect them, I'm so envious!"
"Then don't you want someone to look out for you in the palace? From now on, if anyone bullies you, I'll stand up for you."
"I do!" Xia Zhi's voice was tinged with a sob.
Zhong Li knelt down, looked into his eyes, and lowered his voice even more, a hint of persuasion in his tone: "Then let's eat together, sleep together, work together, and take punishments together. No matter what happens, I'll face it with you. Isn't that a good life? Don't you want that?"
Tears finally rolled down Xia Zhi's cheeks. He suddenly threw his arms around Zhong Li's waist, rubbing his head against Zhong Li's chest like a wronged child. He nodded desperately, his voice tearful: "I do! I really want that! Brother Zhong, don't lie to me!"
"I won't lie to you," Zhong Li patted his back, feeling the thin body in his arms. He silently vowed never to let the original owner's tragedy repeat itself on Xia Zhi. "Let's go clean now. If we finish the work early, we can come back and eat early."
Xia Zhi nodded obediently, took hold of the corner of Zhong Li's clothes, and followed him like a little tail. Zhong Li put on the old cloth shoes that had been washed clean. When he walked out of the room, the early morning breeze brushed his face with a hint of coolness. He looked at the palace buildings with red walls and black tiles in the distance, his heart filled with mixed emotions. There were no modern conveniences here, no familiar things he knew—only strict hierarchy and unknown dangers. But he had to survive here—for himself, for the loyal little follower beside him, and also for Ying Zheng, the man he both loved and feared.
He touched his chest and thought silently: Ying Zheng, maybe we'll meet again today.