Chapter 48 Pretending to Be a Eunuch

Chapter 48: The Eunuch Disguise

First came the witchcraft incident, then the emperor took to his bed gravely ill and had not held court for several days. The entire court was shrouded in gloom, with anxiety running high.

The ministers dispatched their trusted servants to guard the palace gates, unwilling to miss even the slightest whisper of news from within.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan himself, the very person everyone was worried about for being "gravely ill," was growing increasingly restless inside the Cangwu Palace.

Initially, feigning illness had been a way to delay issuing an edict and buy time for his own investigation.

But now, just as everyone believed he was truly sick, he found this "illness" had become a hindrance.

According to reports from the prison, Jiang Wang had been lying in bed for three days. He rarely got up except to eat and drink, ate very little each time, and seemed to be in poor spirits.

Xiao Yan was growing anxious. He was eager to see how Jiang Wang was doing.

However, the palace gates were surrounded by spies from various ministers. The slightest movement would ripple out and spread rapidly. Xiao Yan was confined to the small world of the Cangwu Palace.

This business of feigning illness was starting to feel like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

Seeing his brother so sullen, Fang Fengshi came up with a plan for Xiao Yan.

"I have a way to get you out. I just don't know if Your Majesty is willing to stoop from your noble height."

"What way?"

At this moment, Xiao Yan was more focused on finding a way out and completely missed the teasing tone in Fang Fengshi's words.

Fang Fengshi glanced through the window at the indistinct figures constantly waiting in the corridor and flashed a mischievous smile.

"Disguise as a eunuch."

*

Jiang Wang, whom others believed to be listless and dispirited, was currently lying alone on his prison bed. He appeared to be in a pitiful situation, but in reality, he was having a blast.

Why hadn't he discovered this function of the system before?

This virtual experience game, the Life Simulator, was just too much fun!

Not only could he experience different lives in various small worlds, but more importantly, by completing tasks in each small world, he could actually earn points!

Since no one in the prison was paying him any mind and he had nothing else to do, he had already experienced five small worlds in just three days.

From a heroic swordsman in an immortal world to a cat demon in a fantasy world, from a green tea male supporting character in a melodramatic world to a domineering CEO in a realistic world, and the fifth small world turned out to be a young master from a wealthy family!

This was familiar territory! Wasn't this his original identity?

When he entered this small world, Jiang Wang felt as if he had returned to his home turf. Mansions, sneakers, banquets—completing tasks felt as easy as slicing through melons and chopping vegetables.

He ate and drank to his heart's content inside; it was truly fantastic!

In just three days, he had already earned 20 points. Jiang Wang felt he could keep going for another three days and nights, aiming to rack up fifty points!

If it weren't for 001 reminding him not to stay in bed all the time, to get up, move around, eat, and drink to avoid raising suspicion, he really wouldn't have wanted to move at all.

Having successfully completed the fifth small world, Jiang Wang pulled up the system interface to check his current points.

60 points!

Victory was in sight; dawn was just ahead.

He even discussed with the system the possibility of making this experience mode permanent. That way, he estimated he could reach one hundred points within a week, then exchange them for answers and embark on his journey back to the modern era.

But who would have thought 001 would refuse him.

001 used its flat, emotionless electronic voice to whine, which sounded rather eerie.

"Host, this is also one of the new features of my humble system. It's currently in the trial phase and isn't very stable. If you play for too long and get detected, the Transmigration Administration will punish us. Host, I suggest you play the long game. This feature will make a comeback in the future~"

Alright then. Jiang Wang wasn't an unreasonable person. He had gained 20 points, which wasn't nothing.

He disengaged from the system and, as usual, drank some water and moved around a bit.

But this time, as he got out of bed, he suddenly realized there was someone standing in the room!

In that instant, Jiang Wang got goosebumps, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

It was already the middle of the night. The candles in the cell weren't bright, and their faint light even flickered with an unknown draft, like the setting of a classic horror movie.

It was as if something was lurking in the shadows, ready to startle someone at any moment.

On top of that, a person had appeared so silently...

Could it be that this wasn't a person but a ghost...

Jiang Wang's heart pounded like a drum. He didn't dare breathe loudly.

After all, he had already experienced transmigration. Running into a ghost seemed plausible too.

Just as he planned to slowly retreat, quietly putting distance between himself and the "ghost," the "ghost" suddenly took a step toward him and even called out his name.

Jiang Wang.

Oh no. Not only had this ghost appeared beside him, but it also knew his name. Could it be here to claim his life?

He had just accumulated sixty points! He was still young! He didn't want to die!

But the "ghost" was right in front of him. Whether he died or not didn't seem to be up to him anymore...

Somehow, from the moment he first transmigrated to now, being in this prison, various scenes flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

Helplessness, confusion, fear, worry—all these emotions ultimately turned into grievance, instantly welling up in his eyes.

The puppet wasn't his. The sorcery wasn't his doing. How did this big blame end up falling on him?

He couldn't live in his nice big house anymore and had to stay in this broken prison cell. Even being in prison was one thing, but now a ghost had come for him too.

This life was really unbearable!

Uncontrollable tears streamed down, instantly wetting Jiang Wang's cheeks.

"Wahhh... the puppet isn't mine, please don't eat me. If you eat me, you're not a good ghost."

But instead of disappearing, the ghost moved even closer.

However...

Through his tear-blurred vision, Jiang Wang saw the "ghost" happen to step beside the candle flame. Under the illumination of the light, a long, slender shadow was cast.

He seemed to recall a saying: ghosts don’t have shadows; if it has a shadow, it’s not a ghost.

So the one standing before him now… wasn’t a ghost?

Jiang Wang wiped his face, sniffling softly, and took a hesitant step forward.

Under the dim lamplight, the ghost’s face became clear to him.

It was actually…

Xiao Yan?!

And he was dressed as a eunuch?!

If Jiang Wang had been stunned with fear earlier, his current state was just as shaken.

Because he even felt that a ghost appearing in dim lamplight was more reasonable than Xiao Yan showing up dressed as a eunuch.

“Y-Your Majesty? Why are you here? And you’re…

dressed as a eunuch!”

As the panic faded, Jiang Wang looked him up and down, puzzled.

Xiao Yan, disguised as a young eunuch in the middle of the night and following Fang Fengshi here, naturally hadn’t come to scare him.

He just wanted to see how Jiang Wang was doing. He hadn’t expected that his silent entry would startle Jiang Wang so much.

When he arrived, Jiang Wang had been lying on the bed, his face somewhat pale, but his mental state was fairly good.

Xiao Yan’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled.

He cleared his throat and resumed his imperial demeanor.

“I have come to interrogate you.”

The doll confiscated from Jiang Wang bore his name and birth date, so his personal involvement was indeed necessary.

Although he knew Jiang Wang was being framed, he needed to understand the full story first to devise a follow-up plan.

“Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged!”

The words slipped out instinctively, and Jiang Wang found them strangely familiar.

“Your Majesty, that doll isn’t mine! Besides, I’ve spent most of my time in the palace—where would I even get such things?”

Yet aside from these dry statements, he truly had no other way to prove his innocence.

After all, he hadn’t done it—how could he find evidence for something he never did?

Jiang Wang watched Xiao Yan anxiously, hoping the latter would believe his words.

“I believe you.”

Believe him?

But hearing these three words clearly from Xiao Yan, Jiang Wang felt a wave of doubt instead.

“Then why didn’t Your Majesty see me on the night I was arrested?”

About that night, Jiang Wang remembered it vividly.

A stormy night with thunder, an inexplicable accusation—he cried out to heaven and earth, but no one answered. Finally, he thought of seeking help from Xiao Yan, only to be met with the words, “Acting on imperial orders.” Who could imagine the chill and despair he felt in his heart at that moment?

If Xiao Yan believed him, why hadn’t he seen him?

The sour, aggrieved feeling that had just vanished surged up again, but this time, Jiang Wang held it back.

Earlier, he had thought he was about to be taken by a ghost, which was why he lost his composure. Now, the one in the wrong wasn’t him, and he refused to embarrass himself in front of Xiao Yan.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan also felt wronged.

That night, he had sat alone in the Cangwu Palace all night, simply never hearing any news of Jiang Wang wanting to see him. Now, thinking back, it was likely Wang Wenzhou who had acted on his own.

Wang Wenzhou had made the decision to prevent Jiang Wang from meeting him.

But Xiao Yan didn’t defend himself—after all, a mistake was a mistake.

If he hadn’t wavered on that rainy night, if he had fully trusted Jiang Wang, believed that Jiang Wang hadn’t colluded with Chang Wenji, and understood that Jiang Wang would never dabble in such dark arts, then Jiang Wang wouldn’t be locked up in prison now.

Xiao Yan stared into Jiang Wang’s eyes and spoke three words.

“I’m sorry.”

*

That same late night, Zhong He, draped in a black cloak, slipped out through the back door of his residence.

He navigated skillfully through the pitch-black night, following secluded paths until he hurriedly arrived at a small courtyard.

*Knock, knock-knock, knock.*

This was their prearranged secret knock. The moment his hand fell, the door swung open.

The night was too dark to make out the face of the person who opened the door, but under the pale moonlight, he could see the man’s build and a white cloth tied around his arm.

He was a burly man.

Before the man could speak, Zhong He suddenly drew a dagger from within his clothes and pressed it against the burly man’s neck.

At this moment, he showed no trace of his usual gentleness—instead, he resembled a fierce beast barely restraining its emotions.

His tense jawline was like a drawn bowstring, and his heavy breathing grew more pronounced as he tightened his grip on the dagger.

Zhong He lowered his voice and growled at the man.

“I told you to send someone to retrieve the doll buried in Jiang Wang’s garden—why didn’t you do it?!”

Though Zhong He held back his strength, the sharp blade still left a clear mark on the man’s neck, and blood instantly began to flow.

Author’s Note:

Dear readers, the recent update schedule has been a bit unstable—please bear with me. I’ve had a lot going on lately, but I’ll squeeze in time to write more.