Chapter 52.2- The Eunuch’s Wife – Transcendental Translations

Get updated every time a new chapter is released and Get the Passwords to Password Protected Content at our Discord Server -> Click Here to Join now (Protected Content will be available within few days of release)

Chapter 52.2

The next day, Eunuch An gathered all the women listed for dismissal.

This group consisted of over 500 beauties and an additional 1,000+ palace maids.

Since the dismissal of the women would mean fewer people needing personal attendants, Tian Tian and Gao Heng decided together to send the maids out along with the beauties.

Tian Tian’s motivation was to cut palace expenses. Gao Heng’s reasoning was simpler: as long as it made Tian Tian happy, he was content to comply. After all, her happiness would bring her closer to willingly embracing him.

Each dismissed beauty received 100 taels of silver as compensation, while each maid received 20 taels.

Some women left cheerfully, while others were heartbroken.

In any case, by the end of the day, all were sent away.

When Liu Fu Ren heard the news, she was uneasy and restless in her chambers.

She had never imagined that the “little wretch” could persuade Gao Heng to dismiss over 500 women from the palace.

Thankfully, she was not among them. Had she been dismissed, her family—and her father in particular—would certainly have been disappointed in her.

As the daughter of a concubine, her status was already precarious. If she were sent away, she couldn’t predict where her father might send her next.

The thought made her deeply fearful.

The following day, Tian Tian sat in the Western Hall, receiving formal greetings from the other beauties.

To her surprise, Liu Fu Ren was among the visitors.

Since entering the High Palace, the original Tian Tian had been targeted by Liu Fu Ren. Now, seeing her approach, Tian Tian naturally directed her attention toward her.

Liu Fu Ren, once the most favored woman in the palace, was undoubtedly among the most beautiful. Her delicate features, alluring figure, and choice of a pink and lavender dress gave her an undeniable charm.

It was easy to imagine how captivating she must have been when dancing. Yet somehow, Gao Heng hadn’t been swayed by her. Tian Tian found this peculiar.

Liu Fu Ren felt uneasy under Tian Tian’s unwavering gaze. She feared that Tian Tian would retaliate for past grievances.

Although Liu Fu Ren had enjoyed Gao Heng’s favor in the past, she was well aware that his feelings had shifted. She had underestimated Tian Tian before, dismissing her entirely. But now, she understood the threat Tian Tian posed. Gao Heng’s willingness to dismiss so many women for her sake was proof of her extraordinary influence.

Faced with this turn of events, Liu Fu Ren no longer dared to antagonize her. At least not now.

The stakes were too high. A single misstep could result in her own dismissal from the palace—a fate she couldn’t afford. She absolutely could not leave the High Palace.

Liu Fu Ren stepped forward gracefully and knelt. “This concubine greets Madam Jiang. I was unwell recently and unable to pay my respects sooner. Now that I’ve recovered, I came to offer my greetings.”

Tian Tian held a teacup in her hand, smiling as she looked at Liu Fu Ren, but didn’t immediately ask her to rise.

This delay was a tactic Liu Fu Ren herself had often used.

Kneeling for an extended period, Liu Fu Ren’s body began to tremble. Remembering her previous mistreatment of Tian Tian, she feared that retaliation was inevitable. Yet she dared not move.

The other beauties watched silently, enjoying the spectacle but not daring to say a word.

After letting Liu Fu Ren kneel for nearly fifteen minutes, Tian Tian finally allowed her to rise and even inquired about her health with apparent concern.

Throughout the exchange, she gave no indication of targeting Liu Fu Ren directly.

Though outwardly composed, Liu Fu Ren was shaken to her core. The difference in their statuses now was stark, and she had no choice but to swallow her pride.

Tian Tian’s actions were deliberate. With Gao Heng as her support, she could walk through the High Palace unchallenged. Making Liu Fu Ren kneel for so long was a calculated move to assert her authority. It served as a warning to all the women: the past was behind them, but any future disturbances would not be tolerated.

Over the next few days, Tian Tian stayed mostly in her chambers, contemplating how to help Gao Heng win the favor of the people.

Winning the people’s hearts required tangible accomplishments—policies that would directly benefit their lives.

She began to consider developing affordable and practical products that would appeal to the common folk. Items like laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, and body wash were necessities everyone could use. If she could create these at low cost and scale production, it might yield surprising results.

The benefits were twofold: the people would appreciate such products, and producing them would create jobs, addressing unemployment issues.

If the venture succeeded, it could even expand internationally, trading these goods abroad.

Though this wouldn’t make the entire Da Chu kingdom wealthy, it could at least ensure basic needs were met for the population.

The more Tian Tian thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. Excited, she began listing the materials she needed and asked Gao Heng to arrange for their procurement.

With her background in cosmetics development spanning two lifetimes, producing such items felt easy. Shampoo and body wash, in particular, were her specialties and far simpler than creating makeup.

Meanwhile, Gao Heng was feeling frustrated.

He had thought that dismissing the palace beauties would draw him closer to Tian Tian. Instead, she seemed busier than ever.

Before, he had been preoccupied with finalizing the list of dismissals, collapsing into bed exhausted every night. Now that the task was done, he had hoped to enjoy some intimate time with Tian Tian. But she had thrown herself into her own work.

Servants reported that she had been locking herself in her chambers all day. At night, she was often more exhausted than he was.

Was she still resisting him? Was this her way of avoiding becoming his true wife?

Tian Tian had no idea what was going through Gao Heng’s mind. Writing out the formulations for her products had kept her up late. By the time she bathed and returned to bed, Gao Heng was already asleep.

She placed the formula under her pillow, planning to show him in the morning.

In truth, Gao Heng wasn’t asleep. When Tian Tian drifted off, he retrieved the paper from under her pillow. Frowning at the unfamiliar names on the list, he returned it without a word.

The next morning, Tian Tian woke up early, eager to present her plans to Gao Heng.

“Zi Rui, please have someone gather the materials listed here for me. I want to start working on something important.”

Gao Heng took the paper, eyebrows furrowing. “I hardly recognize anything on this list.” He recognized only a few herbs and plants.

“You’ve lived in the palace too long,” Tian Tian teased. “Send someone to search for these items. I’m certain they’re common and can be found easily.” The resources she needed were inexpensive and readily available.

“If you can describe them, drawing illustrations would make things easier.”

Tian Tian’s eyes lit up. “You’re right! I’ll draw them today.”

Gao Heng studied her with amusement. “I had planned to take you out of the palace today for a walk. If you’re busy, I’ll cancel.”

At the mention of leaving the palace, Tian Tian perked up immediately. Drawing could wait. “This can wait until tomorrow. Let’s go out today!”

Her excitement made Gao Heng smile.

“Then freshen up quickly. After breakfast, we’ll head out.”

Tian Tian dressed quickly, joining Gao Heng and their small entourage of guards. For the first time in ages, she felt alive as the carriage carried them out of the High Palace.

But outside the palace, danger was already lying in wait.