Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Everyone in the Marquis’s Manor knew.

Their master was going to marry a eunuch who had once served in the palace of the Previous Dynasty.

Not only was the new groom not a man, but I had also bought him back for three hundred taels of silver.

At the time, the New Dynasty was replacing the Old Dynasty. When the current New Emperor entered the capital, the eunuchs and palace maids serving in the palace either died or fled.

Among them, some people took advantage of the chaos to seize a few fair-looking palace servants and take them to Liangzhou to be sold.

The palace maids were sold into brothels, while the eunuchs, being neither man nor woman, were kept to satisfy the curiosity of wealthy young heirs looking for something novel.

The human traffickers stripped these eunuchs naked, locked them in iron chains, and dragged them through the streets.

In the bitter cold of midwinter, the eunuchs huddled together, shivering like a flock of plucked white ducks.

Passersby would inevitably stop to critique their lower bodies, followed by bursts of mocking or contemptuous laughter.

These eunuchs were not old. While they weren’t top-tier beauties, they were generally quite fair and delicate. In the past, they had served the masters of the palace, but now their nation had fallen.

Occasionally, a wealthy young heir would buy one to take back as a slave, which was considered a way to gain some prestige.

My carriage happened to be passing by. I lifted the curtain and took a single glance into the crowd.

With just that one look, I couldn’t move another inch. I pointed at the tallest and thinnest eunuch among them and bought him then and there.

The eunuch’s name was Pei Yunchuan. Initially, he had been dazed by the freezing snow, so I wrapped him in my cloak and carried him back myself.

He was still trembling in my arms, frost clinging to his brows and the corners of his eyes, unable to utter a single coherent word.

Later, he regained his vitality. Dressed in a blue-green brocade robe with his hair loosely tied in a bun, he stood tall and slender-he did indeed possess a certain charm.

However, this Pei Yunchuan was, after all, someone who couldn’t be presented in polite society; he couldn’t shed his eunuch habits. The first thing he did after entering the Marquis’s Manor was demand the keys from the steward so he could personally manage the household affairs.

Every word and action of his was arrogant and domineering.

His elegant face became loathsome simply because of his sharp-tongued and caustic attitude.

Though I am but a woman, I am a Marquis personally titled by the Emperor. During the Previous Dynasty, I was a merchant selling military weapons and armor, often living my life on the edge of a blade.

It was also I who assisted the current Emperor, enabling him to breach the Imperial City and establish the New Dynasty.

Even though I am now a Marquis, I still govern my household with a strict hand.

The rules of this manor cannot be easily broken. In years past, I had kept a male concubine whose features bore a slight resemblance to Pei Yunchuan’s. Presuming upon my favor, he broke the rules; without a shred of pity, I had him beaten half to death and thrown out of the manor.

That year was also a bitter winter. When I stepped out the next morning and passed his frozen corpse, I didn’t even blink. Instead, I frowned and ordered the servants to carry him away and dump him in the mass grave outside the city.

Consequently, the people in the manor didn’t just ignore Pei Yunchuan; they looked at him as if he were a dead man.

The sycophantic wretch spent the whole day screeching and cursing. He hadn’t managed to get the keys, and by the time I returned, his arrogance had only grown. He claimed that the servants in my manor were not only lacking in discernment but were also utterly undisciplined.

My expression remained cold as usual, devoid of any extra emotion. I ignored Pei Yunchuan and walked straight into the main hall.

I took my seat at the head of the room while Pei Yunchuan stood to the side. He snatched the teapot from a servant’s hand and poured me a cup of tea with a face full of flattery.

Only then did I speak calmly to the maid waiting nearby: “Call all the servants of the manor here.”

A row of people knelt before me, recounting Pei Yunchuan’s misdeeds one by one. Yet, this senseless creature Pei Yunchuan didn’t even realize disaster was imminent. He touched my hand, took a hand warmer, and tucked it into my grip.

When I am angry, I am usually very calm-so calm it is terrifying. Once the room fell into a heavy silence, I finally tilted my head and asked Pei Yunchuan, “Is what they say true?”

“Oh, my Little Ancestor, now that you have power and influence, you have to let me bask in your glory a bit and order a few servants around,” Pei Yunchuan said with a smile.

“Kneel!” I suddenly barked, but not at Pei Yunchuan. I was shouting at the servants filling the room.

Everyone was stunned. I let out a cold laugh and smashed the teacup in my hand toward them. As the sound of the porcelain shattering against the floor rang out, everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling.

Only then did I speak leisurely: “From now on, whatever Pei Yunchuan wants, you shall give it to him.”

The petty man had achieved his ambition. He squinted his eyes and laughed quite joyfully, not forgetting to bark from behind me:

“Did you all hear that? You’d better sharpen your wits!”

While indulging Pei Yunchuan’s display of power, I also took the opportunity to announce one more thing:

“From this day forward, he is my husband and your second master. If anyone disrespects him, I will have their life.”

These words shocked everyone. Pei Yunchuan collapsed onto the floor, staring at me blankly as if he’d lost his mind.

It took a long while before he shrieked in his high-pitched voice, “You madwoman! What kind of nonsense are you talking?”