Forbidden Love in the Inner Palace: The Eunuch in Chief Makes His Moves Without Placing a Piece

He is the powerful Eunuch of Nine Thousand Years, and the last survivor of the Xie family, who has endured in silence for twenty years.

To avenge his family, Xie Linzhou disguises himself as a eunuch and carefully lays out a stunning chess game, stirring up turmoil at the heart of the Dayin court.

At court, he is a trusted pillar of Emperor Shengxuan and a powerbroker feared by every official.

In the shadows, he is an avenger seeking the truth and a devoted husband determined to keep her safe.

Jiang Mian risks her life for him, stealing secret letters and scouting dangerous places. She knows he is a “defective” eunuch, yet still throws herself wholeheartedly into his cause.

“Husband, you are the Xie family’s last hope. I want to give you an heir.”

On the eve of his departure for war, red candles flicker as she sheds her clothes and, with all the love in her heart, continues the Xie family’s bloodline for him.

For three years, war rages along the northern frontier. He fights through blood and fire and pacifies the foreign tribes.

In the depths of her mansion in the capital, she gives birth to a son named Xie Qi'an. She tends the plum blossoms in the garden and waits for him to return.

In the Golden Throne Hall, he casts aside his disguise and reveals his true identity, resigning his immense power. “Your Majesty, the realm is at peace. I ask only to retire to Jiangnan with my wife and child.”

In the Office of the Imperial Seal, a three-year-old child looks at him, his armor rimed with frost, and calls out in a babyish voice, “Papa.”

The game of chess that lasted twenty years finally reaches its perfect conclusion amid drifting plum blossoms.