The Eunuch's Unwavering Devotion

[Stoic in public, gentle and shy before his beloved, a castrated attack who is as loyal as a wolfhound]

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[Extremely frail, stunningly beautiful, slightly scheming and flirtatious older shou]

Master and servant; devoted to each other; true eunuch fiction; younger seme

[Attack's perspective]

Lin Nanxing cut himself at fourteen. For the next six years, he lived as a eunuch.

He rose from carrying sedan chairs to becoming the Commander of the Capital Army. He once acknowledged a powerful eunuch as his adoptive father, and survived countless brushes with death on the battlefield.

When the old emperor died, he helped the young Third Prince ascend the throne. From then on, he became a powerful eunuch who held sway over the entire court.

Everyone believed Lin Nanxing was the new emperor's loyal dog.

But on the night the new emperor took the throne before the late emperor's spirit tablet, he secretly sent the male consort from the Cold Palace beyond the palace walls, concealing it from both the emperor and his ministers.

An underling reported late that night, "Lord Lin, Young Master Mu has arrived at your residence."

The iron-hearted, ruthless Eunuch Lin suddenly softened, murmuring, "Young Master... at last, you're free."

Before entering the palace, Lin Nanxing had been Mu Jiuru's page. They had been together day and night, relying on each other to survive.

He had entered the palace and become a powerful eunuch for one reason: to save his young master and give him freedom and a worry-free life.

When Mu Jiuru's eyesight began to fail, he obtained a pair of spectacles for him.

When Mu Jiuru grew frail and gaunt, he served him devotedly, always at his side.

When Mu Jiuru was poisoned by a love potion, he... found someone clean to help his young master.

But his godlike, breathtakingly handsome young master said, "I don't want anyone else..."

"Nanxing, I only want you."

Duke Lin showed no respect for the imperial family and deceived his sovereign, betraying his master.

In this life, he was devoted to only one person, Mu Jiuru.

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[Shou's perspective]

Mu Jiuru had been frail since childhood, confined to his sickbed year after year.

In the lonely courtyard of the Mu residence, he and his only servant, Nanxing, endured their illnesses together, sharing every hardship.

A single imperial decree made him one of the emperor's consorts, but before long, he was banished to the Cold Palace.

Without enough food or clothing, alone and helpless, his illness worsened until he hovered between life and death.

Then a ray of light shone in from beyond the palace walls.

From the other side of the palace walls, Nanxing called, "Young Master, I've come for you! I'll get you out, no matter what!"

Seeing someone from his past, Mu Jiuru nearly wept. He could not even bring himself to scold him for being a fool.

Before entering the palace, he had given Nanxing twenty taels of silver so he could buy his freedom and become a free man.

But the foolish page had chosen castration instead, just to follow him into the palace.

Mu Jiuru told him, "Nanxing, I'm doing perfectly well here."

Through the long six years that followed in the Cold Palace, no matter how much humiliation, hunger, and cold he endured,

Mu Jiuru was no longer afraid.

In front of his former master, Lin Nanxing took off his clothes one by one, revealing his mutilated, damaged body.

By candlelight, Mu Jiuru examined every inch of his skin, every wound.

Mu Jiuru said slowly, word by word, "You never bought your freedom. You are still my servant."

Duke Lin bent down and lowered his head. "Yes. I will always belong to you, Young Master."

[Please note]

1. The shou is a Dowager Consort, but there is no sexual relationship with the emperor, and he doesn't love him. His former husband dies from the start, and is barely mentioned afterward. The leads are each other's first love and absolutely dote on each other. The early tone is a little somber, but their romance is sweet. They love each other so much!

2. The shou is a great beauty and extremely frail, and often falls ill early in the story.

3. The gong has no equipment for committing crimes (?) and it won't grow back. He's a eunuch from the military, a powerful eunuch who doesn't care for power. From the middle of the story on, he keeps trying to retire and go home to his wife, child, and a warm bed.

4. Younger gong; the shou is eight years older. There's a huge difference in their builds. The gong is about 195 to 200 centimeters tall (yes, eunuchs can actually grow taller more easily); the shou is about 175 centimeters, a delicate and radiant beauty.

5. They'll adopt a child in the second half of Volume Two. The child appears in the story, but the leads don't revolve around him. His role is to help heal the leads' childhood traumas.

6. The story is mostly told from the gong's perspective, with occasional chapters from the shou's perspective and very few from other characters' perspectives. There are quite a few side couples, but their romances generally won't be explored in the main story. They'll appear in the extras!

Thank you, dear readers, for making it this far. Now let's step into the world of Xingxing and Jiujiao!

Enjoy the story! -3-

Theme: Never give up hope, no matter what hardships you face