The Emperor's Cherished Eunuch

Liu Mingjing was only sixteen when he entered the palace.

To keep his family fed and warm, he resolutely walked into the castration chamber.

As blood stained the wooden bed,

he thought that all he had left in life was to survive in misery.

Later, he was assigned to serve in the imperial study.

The old eunuch warned him: In the palace, being too handsome is asking for trouble. Learn to keep it hidden.

So he kept his head down and his eyes open, careful in every little thing.

Until one day, when he was serving tea to the young emperor, the emperor asked, "If it were up to you, would you secure the borders first or provide relief to the disaster victims?"

His reply, "Perhaps we could start by cutting back on the palace's expenses," made the emperor's gaze linger on him for a long while.

The first time Zhao Heng saw Liu Mingjing, he thought the eunuch was distractingly handsome.

Especially his eyes, so clear they seemed able to see into people's hearts.

Zhao Heng deliberately asked him about state affairs while reviewing memorials, never expecting the young eunuch to actually know the answers.

Before long, it became a habit.

A habit to have him grind the ink nearby, to hear him quietly analyze court affairs, to look up and see him whenever exhaustion set in.

But some habits can be dangerous.

When Liu Mingjing took a falling boulder meant for him,

Zhao Heng felt his heart skip a beat.

"Why would you risk your life to save me?"

"Protecting Your Majesty is my duty."

"Only your duty?" He stepped closer, sensing the other's breath suddenly grow uneven.

Eyes watched from every corner of the inner palace.

The empress dowager issued warnings, court officials attacked, and rumors spread.

The more he tried to restrain himself, the more he found himself stroking the corner of Liu Mingjing's eye when they were alone.

"Is there nothing you want?"

"This servant wouldn't dare entertain improper desires."

"What if I gave you permission to have improper desires?"

He kissed the lips he had longed for day and night.

"Now, do you have improper desires?"

1. One-on-one romance. The male lead has no harem, and there are no fake concubines or empresses.

2. The love interest is a eunuch. In another novel, His Majesty After Being Reborn, the male lead is reborn and prevents the love interest from becoming a eunuch. He is not a eunuch in that story.

3. Not angsty, with no romantic misunderstandings. At heart, it's a sweet romance.

Theme: Everyone is equal.