The Gloomy Eunuch Becomes the Villain Team's Beloved

Coming soon: the historical mystery novel The Casebook of Strange Happenings at the Imperial Academy. The blurb is at the end.

Up next is the male-led fantasy danmei novel Monster Rescue Plan [Quick Transmigration]. Check out my profile and please add it to your reading list~

Blurb:

A ruthless, gloomy beauty of a gong x a passionate, sincere, healing, loyal puppy of a shou

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Born into an age of chaos, every day is uncertain.

Lin Lu was born into a lowly family. With a feminine face, he was sent by his own mother to the palace to serve as a eunuch at the age of thirteen. His mild temperament often made him a target for the other eunuchs. As time went on, the young boy's fragile, sensitive nerves could no longer take it, and he came close to breaking down under the torment.

At last, after enduring relentless pressure, Lin Lu's nature changed completely. He resolved to endure humiliation and take revenge.

Over the next ten years, Lin Lu stopped at nothing, climbing over countless corpses to become the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. He held power over the entire court, and with a crook of his finger he could set the Great Zhou dynasty into turmoil.

As he watched Lin Lu rise to power, countless people came to see him as a thorn in their side. But whenever they tried to make a move, someone else would step in to "shoulder the burden" for him...

- The Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculated that Lin Lu's ravishing beauty was an ill omen. The bewitching consort, whose beauty could topple a kingdom, kept the old emperor in bed for five days straight, then went so far as to sacrifice her own charms to take the blame for Lin Lu.

- The censors denounced eunuchs meddling in government. The honey-tongued, treacherous Second Prince pinched the late emperor's edict between his fingers, dared to defy the convention that censors must not be executed, and made their heads the first things to roll after he took the throne.

- A minister who considered himself loyal and upright tried to hire someone to kill. The ruthless leader of the assassins fell silent at the sight of a familiar face in the portrait, then turned around and made the employer bleed on the spot.

As all this was happening, the least favored Sixth Prince, Shen Xingzhou, could do nothing but anxiously cling to Lin Lu, his eyes red.

Lin Lu smiled calmly, reached up to pat Shen Xingzhou on the head, and said, "Cotton ball, all you have to do is stay by my side."

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☆Important warnings☆

· The gong is a eunuch impostor. His personality changes dramatically between the beginning and later parts. Angst first, then sweetness. The angst is in the plot, not the relationship.

· The shou is the gong's emotional support. Please think of him as a good-luck charm for most of the story. He'll grow later on.

· An ancient setting with some historical references. Many invented details, so don't overthink them. 1v1, both are each other's first, happy ending.

· I'll listen to friendly suggestions, but politely decline writing advice. Feel free to stay or leave without telling me.

· Finally, I hope you enjoy the story =3= Love you all, mwah!

· Since you've read this far, please take a look at the upcoming story below too, QAQ. It'd be even better if you tapped that little button to add it to your reading list~ (crying cat)

Upcoming historical danmei novel The Casebook of Strange Happenings at the Imperial Academy:

A fake crybaby, real scheming little con-artist gong x a seemingly aloof shou who can't resist a crybaby

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The Qi family was a well-known local merchant family. Qi Fu was born to his father late in life and was spoiled rotten, growing into an unruly little devil who did whatever he pleased. As the years went by, the Qi family decided they couldn't keep indulging this little menace!

So the Qis spent a fortune buying an official student slot and, after much persuasion, sent Qi Fu to study at the Imperial Academy.

Qi Fu couldn't get out of it, but he wasn't willing to settle for a dull life. He put his people skills to work, got along with all his classmates, and spent every day taking them up the mountain to hunt birds or down to the river to catch fish, abandoning their studies completely.

The teachers at the Imperial Academy could take no more. They jointly wrote a complaint and submitted Qi Fu's name to the Jingyi Pavilion, condemning him as a lazy troublemaker who corrupted everyone around him...

Lu Zhixi came from a prestigious family. Quick-witted and studious, he had won the emperor's favor and become the Imperial Academy's director at a young age. But after Qi Fu enrolled, Lu Zhixi faced the greatest crisis of his career.

When he heard the news, Lu Zhixi summoned Qi Fu for a private scolding, intending to restore his authority as a teacher. But before he could get more than a few stern words out, the notorious "little demon king" turned red-eyed and started sobbing!

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For the sake of the Qi family's generous contributions, the Imperial Academy reluctantly let Qi Fu stay.

But Qi Fu wasn't a wastrel through and through. He was bold yet meticulous, and he didn't believe in ghosts or gods. Even more remarkably, he could see through appearances to the truth beneath.

Later, strange happenings began cropping up all over the capital. Tales grew wilder by the day: a moon demon that ate people, a woman in red who haunted the living, ghost soldiers marching through the streets. Why did voices keep coming from a long-abandoned temple late at night? And who was using others to commit murder when Mars threatened the heart constellation?

These eerie incidents threw the entire Imperial Academy into a panic. Qi Fu, quite unlike his usual self, stepped in to help Lu Zhixi out: "There's nothing to be afraid of. Leave it to me!"

He went where others dared not go, and investigated cases no one else dared touch.

It turned out that everything left clues. Qi Fu tracked down everyone responsible for the mischief, then went to Lu Zhixi to claim his reward once the incidents were resolved.

"Director, I've helped the Academy solve so many problems. Can you really bear to expel me?" Qi Fu raised his dewy eyes, looking deeply aggrieved.

Lu Zhixi smiled gently, like winter sunlight on snow, and agreed to grant him three wishes.

Qi Fu didn't even think before grabbing his wrist and pinning him against the wall. His tiger teeth showed as he grinned triumphantly. "First, may we stay together forever. Second, may we grow old together. Third..." Qi Fu leaned close to Lu Zhixi's reddening ear. "...May you forgive your student for the disrespect of 'getting fresh' with his teacher. Director Lu, what do you say?"

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Notes:

1. Pseudo-supernatural, light mystery, historical teacher-student romance, 1v1, both are each other's first, and they are each other's only one.

2. Qi Fu is the gong and Lu Zhixi is the shou. Younger gong, five-year age gap.

3. The ancient setting takes inspiration from the Ming dynasty. Many invented details, so don't overthink them.

4. The protagonists' detective skills = the author's intelligence ≠ Sherlock Holmes. A lively romance focused on love. I'll do my best to avoid glaring logic errors. Discussion and suggestions are welcome. If you want hard-core deduction, this might not be for you.

Theme: Kindness needs to have teeth.