Chapter 792: Prove Your Courage

“Huh?” Song Qingshu was momentarily dumbfounded.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

“Look how nervous you are.” Seeing Song Qingshu standing there like a stunned goose, Empress Pei Man burst into laughter, her body trembling with mirth. Instead of explaining, she lazily yawned, pressing a delicate hand to her red lips before reclining gracefully on the couch.

“Xiao Xing, has this Empress treated you well?”

This was practically a freebie question. Without hesitation, Song Qingshu replied, “Your Majesty’s kindness to this lowly one is as vast as the heavens. Even if I were to climb mountains of blades or plunge into seas of fire, I could never repay it.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he inwardly cursed.

‘This empress obviously has ulterior motives for being so nice to a mere eunuch. Damn my smooth-talking habits—now I’ve walked right into her trap.’

Empress Pei Man, however, seemed thoroughly pleased with his answer. “Good, you still have some conscience. Don’t worry, this Empress won’t make you climb blades or dive into fire. I’ll be perfectly satisfied if you just do one thing for me.”

“Your Majesty need only command me.” Song Qingshu steeled himself.

‘I’m not foolish enough to actually help her with anything, but since she’s clearly scheming something major, gathering intel won’t hurt. Once I figure out her plans, I’ll make my escape.’

To his surprise, Empress Pei Man didn’t immediately assign him a task. Instead, she smiled coyly. “This matter isn’t so simple. I’m just worried you lack the courage for it.”

Song Qingshu’s heart tightened.

‘This woman’s ambitions are indeed vast.’

Outwardly, however, he maintained his loyal facade, even feigning wounded pride at her provocation. “Everything Xiao Xing has was given by Your Majesty. If you command me east, I dare not go west. Though I may have been timid before, now Your Majesty is my courage itself. There’s nothing I fear.”

“What nonsense—how am I your ‘courage’?” Empress Pei Man scolded playfully, though she wasn’t truly angry. “But words alone prove nothing. You’ll need to show me.”

“How?” Song Qingshu grew uneasy.

‘What if she orders me to assassinate someone? How do I talk my way out of that?’

“T0uch me.” Empress Pei Man’s voice dripped with sultry temptation.

“What?” Song Qingshu prided himself on his keen senses—he could hear a mosquito buzzing dozens of feet away. Yet, upon hearing her words, his first thought was that he must have misheard.

“Didn’t you claim to have enough courage? Then prove it by t0uching my b0dy.” Empress Pei Man’s smile was enchanting, though a closer look would reveal an unsettling calm deep within her glistening eyes.

It wasn’t that Song Qingshu ‘dared’ not—he simply found it unbelievable.

‘How could an empress make such an absurd demand?’

Not that he particularly cared. A beautiful woman was offering herself to him, and he had no reason to refuse… except for one problem.

His gaze flickered toward the faint shadow near the window several feet away.

‘Doing this in private would be one thing, but with an audience? My reputation in her eyes is already rock-bottom, but if I just start groping at the first invitation, I’ll seem like a lecher. At the very least, I should feign reluctance before giving in…’

“This woman is shameless!” The yellow-robed maiden hiding outside the window spat in disgust, her ears burning. Normally, she would have fled at the first hint of such indecency, as if staying longer would taint her purity. Yet today, for some inexplicable reason, she hesitated—and kept watching.

“I’ll see just what that scoundrel plans to do.” She justified her presence with righteous indignation.

Seeing Song Qingshu frozen in place, Empress Pei Man’s eyes gradually chilled. “What happened to the man who just swore he’d do anything I asked?”

Song Qingshu glanced at the couch and couldn’t help but marvel.

Empress Pei Man, in her thirties, was at the peak of a woman’s allure. Lying casually on her side, she exuded a mature sensuality no young girl could match—her plump lips, full b0som, supple waist, and curvaceous hips were intoxicating.

Add to that her status as an empress, and even Song Qingshu—who prided himself on appreciating all types—had to admit that such a woman held a unique appeal.

‘I’ve never heard such a request in my life. Fine, I’ll touch her!’

Resolved, he decided to let the yellow-robed maiden think what she would.

Of course, he wasn’t so reckless as to forget his role as the timid eunuch, Little Xingguo. Though he approached, his hand merely rested lightly on Empress Pei Man’s shoulder.

“Not there.” She looked both amused and exasperated.

‘Countless men would kill to touch me, yet this one hesitates even when ordered. Truly, a eunuch is still a eunuch.’

Were it not for her plans, she would have slapped him and sent him packing long ago.

“Then… where?” Song Qingshu blinked innocently.

“Here… here… and here.” Empress Pei Man traced her fingertip suggestively along her body, pointing to several places that left the yellow-robed maiden outside flushed with fury.

‘How can a woman be so brazen?’

Song Qingshu broke out in a cold sweat. “That… might not be appropriate?”

Hearing this, the yellow-robed maiden’s expression softened slightly.

‘Perhaps I misjudged him. Though he’s a philanderer, at least his past affairs involved women who were his lovers. That’s forgivable.’

“What I ask of you requires immense courage. If you can’t even bring yourself to t0uch me, how can I trust you with it?” Empress Pei Man’s voice turned icy.

“Since Your Majesty insists… then I’ll oblige.” Song Qingshu reassured himself that the yellow-robed maiden would understand.

‘I refused multiple times, but she kept pushing! Besides, this is for the sake of gathering intelligence.’

Watching as Song Qingshu’s hands slid with practiced ease into Empress Pei Man’s robes, the yellow-robed maiden—who had just been praising him—stiffened in shock.

‘This b*stard!’

She nearly stomped her foot in fury.