PQE Chapter 11

If it were the previous Seventh Prince, Fu Chen might have turned and left, knowing that such a proud prince did not need pity. Moreover, Fu Chen had no masochistic tendencies, he wouldn’t put himself in an awkward position for a man who once looked down on him. It would be more in his interest to trip him up whenever possible.

He could play dirty tricks on the prince, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so to a foolish child. Now that things had come to this, he hoped the Seventh Prince could retain a shred of the royal pride he once admired, rather than being humiliated into the mud.

Shao Huachi shrank back, clearly afraid of Fu Chen, as the two eunuchs in similar attire had left him with painful memories.

Fu Chen, patient as ever, sat on the ground and played with him for a while. Shao Huachi gradually let go of his panic, realizing that Fu Chen wouldn’t harm him. He laughed at Fu Chen and was about to grab a bowl of rice to eat when Fu Chen quickly stopped him.

Fu Chen noticed a yellow liquid in the rice, which gave him a bad feeling.

“You can’t eat this.” He held Shao Huachi’s hand and gently repeated, “No, you can’t eat this!”

“Ah! Ah!” Shao Huachi waved his hands and cried out, his stomach growling with hunger.

Fu Chen sighed, unsure how long Shao Huachi had been living like this. With gestures and a stern look, Shao Huachi finally pulled back his hand in fear and didn’t touch the bowl again.

Fu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Shao Huachi’s foolishness wasn’t aggressive; he had regressed to a childlike state, still capable of fear and pain.

He tidied the prince’s clothes and picked up the silver mask, wiping off the dirt but not putting it back on Shao Huachi. Although the mask could fetch a good price, no one took it, likely because it was too obvious that only one person in the palace needed it.

With little effort, Fu Chen helped Shao Huachi inside. The room wasn’t shabby; it reflected the former owner’s status with luxurious decorations. It made sense, the Empress couldn’t give Shao Huachi a poor place, as it would tarnish her reputation.

Fu Chen went out to fetch water for washing and found no servants in the courtyard. If the two eunuchs had been there, they would have come out by now. He guessed the servants only appeared when needed.

He didn’t know where the prince’s former servants had been reassigned, but he decided it wasn’t his concern.

Returning with the basin, he saw Shao Huachi sitting on the bed, looking around nervously. Perhaps due to their earlier interaction, Shao Huachi instinctively felt close to Fu Chen, like a small hamster in a strange environment, brightening up when he saw Fu Chen.

Fu Chen sat beside him, wrung out a cloth, and gently wiped Shao Huachi’s uneven skin. The broken tumors and the red, purple, and black pus oozing out emitted a foul odor, indicating Shao Huachi’s suffering. Fu Chen had heard that Shao Huachi experienced excruciating pain periodically, and he could imagine the agony just by looking at him.

He wiped away the pus until the wound stopped oozing, then applied some hemostatic powder, a servant’s ration, usually saved up.

Fu Chen didn’t mind the task, his eyes calm and serene. This tranquility reassured Shao Huachi, who didn’t cry out in pain. Watching Fu Chen’s smooth movements, he sat obediently.

Without ointment, Fu Chen could only clean the wounds and apply the powder. He tidied Shao Huachi’s messy hair a bit, not washing him to avoid revealing his presence.

After cleaning up and removing any traces of his visit, Fu Chen didn’t put the mask back on Shao Huachi.

“Wearing the mask is stuffy and bad for your wounds. Don’t wear it when no one’s around.” Fu Chen didn’t care if Shao Huachi understood, placing the mask on the table.

The unblemished half of Shao Huachi’s face looked at Fu Chen in confusion. 

The candlelight illuminated his porcelain-like face, and his clear eyes seemed to see into one’s soul. From their first meeting, Fu Chen noticed the prince’s penetrating gaze. 

If he had been a young wolf before, he now seemed like a puppy, making Fu Chen not regret his actions today.

Though he was past the age of impulsiveness, it didn’t mean he could completely suppress his humanity.

He took out an oil-paper package, releasing a faint fragrance of peach blossom cakes. Fu Chen usually ate little to avoid indigestion, carrying some food for emergencies.

The cakes weren’t from the usual meals but from a food box sent by Mo Hua. In modern times, people might scorn accepting food from someone with ulterior motives, but having experienced hunger so severe it felt like his stomach was digesting itself, Fu Chen knew that pride couldn’t fill an empty stomach in the palace.

He looked up to see Shao Huachi’s eyes light up at the sight of food, hesitating because Fu Chen had stopped him from eating the rice earlier.

Fu Chen smiled, poured a cup of water, and broke off a small piece to feed him, worried he might choke.

Shao Huachi’s mouth, affected by the tumors, was cracked and swollen. The slightest movement could tear the wounds, causing blood to gush out.

Fu Chen fed him carefully, avoiding the affected side. They cooperated seamlessly, creating a touching scene in the candlelight. After feeding Shao Huachi all the cakes, the prince burped cutely, leaning against Fu Chen, drowsy.

Even a foolish child knows who won’t hurt them, and happy emotions linger in their mind. Fu Chen stayed, letting Shao Huachi lean on him, ignoring the foul smell. The prince’s furry head rubbed against his neck, tickling and warming him.

A powerless, foolish prince made Fu Chen feel at ease. In the palace, only fools and madmen could give him a sense of security.

Once Shao Huachi was asleep, Fu Chen returned to the dining hall, meeting the spirited Ye Xin.

Ye Xin, once the foster son of their steward Mu Ruida, had switched allegiance to Li Xiangying. With Li’s favor, Ye Xin had risen to a senior eunuch, a fourth-rank position, higher than the others.

Seeing Fu Chen, Ye Xin smiled, “Isn’t this Fu Chen? I heard your little follower got into trouble and ascended to heaven. Did you cry your heart out at midnight? Tsk tsk tsk~~”

The “little follower” referred to Chen Zuoren, who had left a month ago. Fu Chen knew Chen had been temporarily reassigned to deliver lychees, taking Ye Xin’s original task and becoming a scapegoat.

It is said that Wang Fugui reminded Fu Chen to be careful of Ye Xin because this person was vindictive and would say a lot of flattering words to his superiors, but when it came to people of lower status than himself, he would completely change his attitude. Of course, there was always a shortage of such people in the palace, but Fu Chen replaced Ye Xin’s position to serve Mu Ruida, which was not pleasing to Ye Xin.

Ye Xin’s group of eunuchs laughed, and Wang Fugui rushed over to shield the smaller Fu Chen, knowing he would suffer against Ye Xin.

“Ye Xin, we don’t interfere with each other. You have your own path, but don’t mess with us!” Wang Fugui’s large frame and fierce expression made him look intimidating.

Ye Xin laughed, “Such deep friendship, I’m touched.”

His fake smile and sharp voice were grating.

A young eunuch ran in, whispering to Ye Xin, who turned pale and left without further words.

Before leaving, he smiled at the group, “Tomorrow is inspection day. Enjoy yourselves.”

After Ye Xin left, Wang Fugui’s face relaxed. He checked Fu Chen over, relieved to find nothing wrong, and patted his shoulder, “Glad you’re okay!”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Fu Chen replied, distracted.

“What’s wrong? You look off.”

“You know, inspections are never pleasant.” Fu Chen suppressed his irregular heartbeat, forcing a smile.

Wang Fugui didn’t notice anything amiss, nodding grimly.

Fu Chen ate absentmindedly, thinking about Ye Xin’s parting words. Inspections.

The so-called “Inspections” is a procedure that must be done every six months to check whether the eunuchs have truly undergone castration or whether they are completely “clean”.

It is rumored that there were eunuchs who were not castrated in a certain dynasty. Although rumors are still rumors, the custom of checking the goods has been passed down. After Fu Chen learned about the dynasties in this world, he knew that this kind of thing was fundamentally impossible. In order to ensure the centralization of the emperor’s power and the stability of the harem, some palace rules and laws were gradually improved, and the management of eunuchs was also quite strict. Every year in late spring and early summer, late autumn and early winter is the time for checking.

All eunuchs without rank had to suffer once every six months, which was why Ye Xin, who had just been promoted to the fourth rank, was gloating. Inspection was extremely insulting to every eunuch. Most eunuchs, except those who had to enter the palace because of crimes, were from poor families. Who would be willing to castrate a good child if they could? Castration would be fine, but to have to check one’s own defects every six months was a great shame.

For any eunuch, this is an extremely humiliating process.

But the reason why Fu Chen was solemn was because he was the accident among the accidents that were impossible to happen.

Every six months, this happens again.