The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 54

The class wasn’t long, and after the reasons were explained, the young students quickly dispersed.

Elder Li walked over from the podium and stopped in front of Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan: “Do you two have any questions?”

Otherwise, why wouldn’t they leave with the other students?

Bai Zhi lowered her gaze; she indeed had questions.

She wasn’t a fool. From Elder Li’s subtle glances, she could sense that his words carried deeper meanings. Combined with everything she had encountered since leaving the palace, it was clear that her background was somewhat unusual.

But it couldn’t be as complicated as being a princess, could it?

First of all, none of the imperial concubines who had children in the palace bore any resemblance to her. Even if she didn’t look like her mother, she should at least resemble her father.

But the Crown Prince—no, the late Prince of Ping—was said to resemble the emperor by ninety percent, and he looked nothing like her.

Wait, that meant there was someone who looked very much like the late Prince of Ping—no, almost identical.

That person was Bai Luo, with her sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes. No wonder she had always felt somewhat familiar.

Could it be that Bai Luo was a princess who had fallen into the common folk? Then what about her?

Bai Zhi looked up at Elder Li: “Apart from the princesses, who else does the prophecy involve?”

At this, Elder Li’s expression turned serious. He nodded approvingly: “Young Master Bai seems to see further. Indeed, apart from the innocent princesses who were wrongfully killed, the royal family, to prevent any potential threats, has almost entirely removed female officials from the court over the past few decades. Now, there are no female officials in the court, only some minor officials who can’t get close to the center of power.”

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged a glance, their expressions growing more serious as they focused on Elder Li’s words.

“Therefore, the first to suffer were the female officials who had risen through the ranks based on their abilities, especially those in positions of power. They were subjected to various forms of persecution, most of their families were executed or exiled from the capital, and their children either died or fled. They had dedicated themselves to serving the country and the people, their contributions and abilities no less than those of men, yet they ended up like this…”

At this point, Elder Li seemed to recall something painful. The sixty-year-old elder’s eyes reddened, but he held back his tears.

He composed himself and said with bitterness: “Those in power only care about their authority, not tolerating the slightest potential threat. Based on unfounded suspicions, they treat human lives as worthless. Is such a court worth serving? A court that has lost the people’s support has only one path—destruction.”

“Elder Li is right.” Wei Ziwan nodded in agreement. Although she had only been in Bai Yue for half a year, back in her homeland of Xidao, she had heard her teachers speak of the plight of female officials in Bai Yue, where the path to officialdom was nearly impossible for women.

“But it wasn’t always like this. In Bai Yue’s history, there were three empresses. During their reigns, female officials could stand in the court, sharing power equally with men. It was a rare era of peace and prosperity. In this world, whether men or women, we are all human beings, all capable of serving the court. It should be the same…”

Elder Li’s voice was heavy and powerless, and he eventually fell silent, his eyes moistening again.

In his youth, he had once ridden proudly through the streets. The one he loved was not some noble lady, but a poor scholar who had topped the imperial exams—a remarkable woman of extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, she was deceived by the current emperor. She had dedicated herself to the public good, but the emperor set a trap and struck her down from behind, implicating all the female officials in the court.

That foolish girl blamed herself even in death, unaware that she was merely a pawn in the emperor’s game. If it hadn’t been her, it would have been someone else.

Elder Li’s eyes filled with sorrow as his gaze fell on Bai Zhi.

Bai Zhi remained silent, her mind in turmoil. Not only was she hearing royal secrets she had never known before, but she was also learning about the plight of female officials in Bai Yue. Most importantly, she didn’t understand how any of this related to her.

Yet, whether it was Lingjue Manor, Song Village, or Elder Li’s complicated gaze, everything seemed to point back to her, to her mysterious origins.

Bai Zhi steadied herself. A guess had formed in her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. No, if she were a princess, why had she been executed so easily in her past life? Why had no one come to her aid?

She wanted to ask something, but seeing Elder Li’s pained expression, she couldn’t bring herself to speak. In the end, she simply bowed and took her leave.

On the way back, Bai Zhi hesitated for a long time before finally asking Wei Ziwan: “Do you think I might be the descendant of some female official?”

She had already ruled out the possibility of being a princess.

To her surprise, Wei Ziwan, who had been deep in thought, replied: “I think it’s more likely that you are a princess.”

“Impossible. I’ve seen all the imperial concubines in the palace, and none of them seem related to me.” Bai Zhi immediately denied. No matter what, she couldn’t look completely unlike her parents.

Wei Ziwan pursed her lips, the words on the tip of her tongue too cruel to say. After a pause, she said: “Perhaps I’m mistaken. Let’s find an opportunity to ask the elder directly.”

What she wanted to say was that not all the imperial concubines in the palace were still alive. Some may have died within those oppressive palace walls before they could see their children grow up.

But this speculation was too cruel for the person before her.

Bai Zhi pressed her lips together. Deep down, she also leaned toward Wei Ziwan’s guess, which was why she hadn’t asked Elder Li directly.

But she kept denying the most likely possibility.

Or rather, she resisted that outcome. If it were true, what about her mother?

If she had already passed away, the thought was hard to accept.

If she were still alive, why had no one come to see her in prison before her execution in her past life? Not even her adoptive father had come.

At the execution ground, no one had called out to her, only Wei Ziwan’s whispered “I’m sorry.” The latter was even harder to bear.

She glanced back at the schoolhouse: “Let’s finish the competition with Zhou □ first. We’ll talk to the elder later.”

Bai Zhi instinctively avoided seeking the truth because, no matter what the answer was, she couldn’t accept it calmly.

For now, she could only push it aside and wait until she was ready to face it.

Wei Ziwan reached out and took Bai Zhi’s hand, holding it tightly.

“Husband, we’ll face it together.”

Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.

The cool fingertips seemed to ignite a flame, instantly warming Bai Zhi’s heavy and cold heart. She gripped Wei Ziwan’s hand tightly and nodded firmly: “Wanwan, I’m so grateful.”

Grateful that she hadn’t pushed her away in this life, grateful for their time together, grateful that she had given her all the hope for the future.

Wei Ziwan smiled softly, not asking what Bai Zhi was grateful for.

Some emotions didn’t need to be spoken; they were understood.

She was also grateful—grateful that the white eunuch in the cold palace had been a fake, grateful that the absurd decree had brought her to this person’s side.

“Let’s go back. We’ll talk to the elder later.” Wei Ziwan said gently.

She understood Bai Zhi’s feelings and was willing to wait with her until she was ready to face the truth.

“Mm, Wanwan, you’re so good.” Bai Zhi’s nose tingled. She knew she shouldn’t be cowardly, that she should be brave, but sometimes emotions overpowered reason.

And this person beside her was willing to shield her from the truth, not pushing her to be brave, but simply accompanying her with understanding until she was ready.

Her gentle presence was so comforting that it made Bai Zhi’s nose sting again.

Wei Ziwan smiled softly: “Husband, you’re also very good.”

The two smiled at each other, the heavy mood lightening considerably.

As the sun set, Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan had just finished dinner when Zhou □ arrived again.

“Miss Zhou, what brings you here?” “Sister Zhou is here.”

Different forms of address, but their voices overlapped.

Zhou □ stood outside the door, not entering. She looked at Bai Zhi and said: “The elder has appointed a new elder to take charge of the village’s security and patrols. He’s arriving tomorrow morning, so I came to let you know. Everyone in the village is to gather at the entrance to welcome him.”

If she hadn’t seen the two of them sleeping in until noon earlier, she wouldn’t have made a special trip.

The person arriving tomorrow was important. It didn’t matter if others didn’t show up, but these two, especially Bai Zhi, had to be there. Otherwise, it would be too disrespectful.

Seeing Zhou □’s serious expression, Bai Zhi forced a smile and agreed: “Thank you, Miss Zhou. We’ll be there.”

Zhou □ nodded, said nothing more, and left before it got completely dark.

Watching her retreating figure, Bai Zhi smiled: “I forgot to ask Miss Zhou what the new elder’s surname is.”

Wei Ziwan understood her meaning and said with interest: “I guess it’s ‘Bing.'”

The surnames of the other five elders corresponded to the six ministries, so the sixth one likely followed the same pattern. After all, Song Village’s intentions were obvious, as if they were afraid people wouldn’t guess.

It was both perfunctory and straightforward.

“Then let’s guess which ‘Bing’ it is.” Bai Zhi’s mood had improved significantly, unlike the emotional turmoil earlier.

In truth, it was just a momentary peak of emotion, a temporary inability to calm down.

Once it passed, her mood stabilized.

After all, she had always thought she was an orphan. In the palace, aside from her adoptive father, she had only been close to the old concubine. She hadn’t experienced much familial love, and over time, she had stopped yearning for it.

Her gaze softened as she looked at Wei Ziwan. Suddenly, she felt that as long as this person was by her side, even if she were to ask the elder now, no matter what the truth was, it wouldn’t matter as much.

Wei Ziwan played along: “I guess it’s ‘Bing’ as in the Ministry of War. What do you think, husband?”

Bai Zhi took half a step forward, leading Wei Ziwan back to their room. After locking the door, she pulled her into an embrace and whispered in her ear: “I think it’s ‘Bing’ as in ice. After all, it’s winter, and it’s cold outside. It’s cold in here too. Let’s go to bed.”