[Paranoid, possessive, unhinged palace eunuch x sunny, easygoing concubine who just wants to coast through life] (S & mild M)
Li Yuniang is of humble birth and so poor that she enters the palace to sell her life. But the emperor dies as soon as she arrives, and as one of his consorts, the first decree she receives is to be buried with him.
But she has to stay alive for as long as she can so she can support her mother and younger sister.
Li Yuniang throws caution to the wind and sells herself to the powerful eunuch Li Weiting.
Li Weiting holds the highest position in the Directorate of Ceremonial. Some say he is gentle and approachable, others that he is utterly evil. Li Yuniang thinks she can take a gamble... and loses.
Li Weiting is nothing but a villain who corrupts the court! He saved her so he could use her as a pawn, conspiring with her to do evil and work hand in glove.
Sigh. If she can live, she'll live. If she can't... she might as well go down swinging!
Li Yuniang diligently attends to this powerful figure, afraid to make a single misstep. Who would have thought Li Weiting would pinch her cheek and say with disdain:
"Your Ladyship, couldn't you smile at me once in a while?"
"Look at you, scared out of your wits. Don't be afraid. My boat of thieves is easy to board and easy to leave. I never force anyone to stay."
Li Yuniang instantly feels a rush of joy and hope.
"But once you've climbed into my bed, things are a little different."
Li Weiting sighs as if in regret, smiling as he watches her face change through a rainbow of emotions.
"After all, I, Li Weiting, am the chief eunuch of the court, not some male concubine for Your Ladyship to enjoy in bed. Wouldn't you agree?"
His finger hooks under her chin as he leans in close to Li Yuniang's face. His breath is cool as a snake's, and his tone carries a faint, unspoken grievance.
"After the time we've shared, Your Ladyship ought to give me an explanation, don't you think?"
Li Yuniang smiles more like she's crying. "W-what kind of explanation do you want, Chief Eunuch?"
What he wants...
To be bound to you in life and death, our flesh and bones rotting together, our hearts and lungs ground into ink to fill a gravestone with our shared passion.
To fall together in life and be entwined in death.
Li Yuniang is so preoccupied with her own little plans that she doesn't realize she isn't the first to lose this bet. Li Weiting is.
Author's note: 1. A real eunuch!! A eunuch in every sense of the word! (There are kinks... Since he's already a eunuch, he might as well go all the way and be a pervert...)
2. Written for my own tastes. A taboo, transgressive story with deranged, dark, melodramatic, and twisted romance. The male lead is morally corrupt and has no ethics.
Theme: Be self-reliant and self-sufficient, and stay away from gambling
