The camp was lively and cheerful. Soldiers, officers and villagers alike sat mingled together, holding bowls filled with foods with rich aroma’s. Shoucheng ate with relish, his chopsticks moving slowly as his fingers tried remembering how to use the two thin pieces of wood. The medium-sized bowl was filled to the brim with rice, fried meat and vegetables. Looking at the huge amount of food, some villagers even fainted from happiness.
Most of the soldiers and officers were intoxicated with cheap wine and started dancing with boisterous laughter. The villagers, affected by their actions, started singing and dancing shoulder to shoulder along with them. For a second, all worries turned to dust as people intoxicated themselves in happiness for the night.
Seeing the weird moves of the ‘amazing’ dancers, as they themselves proclaimed, Shoucheng had to muffle his laughter numerous times. He sat a few steps away from the dancers with Shuli, Wang Lei and Wang Min. The scene before Shoucheng reminded him of the precious night’s celebration. He smiled fondly at the memories as he finished up his dinner.
After placing the bowl inside the big wooden basin which was filled with dirty utensils, Shoucheng took a huge gulp from his water bag. The water bag was light and with another sip it would end up empty. Shoucheng separated from his friends and went to ask a somewhat sober officer if he could find or take water in the camp.
The officer he approached was Jun Shu who stood alone, leaning against a lush green tree. He smiled seeing Shoucheng approach him.
“Officer, do you know where I can find water?” Shoucheng’s voice was stiff as he tried his best to speak politely and formally. Jun Shu didn’t seem to mind his stiffness as his smile deepened and he pointed to a lone part of the camp.
“There. Take the hanging cup on the side to take out the water. If you want another cup to drink from then you need to ask Officer Fan since all the utensils have been moved and I’m not sure where they are.”
“Thank you but I have a water bag so it’s alright.” Shoucheng smiled and bowed at Jun Shu who surprisingly bowed back.
The pot which held the water was light brown in colour and seemed to be made out of clay. The lid was rather heavy and Shoucheng had to exert a lot of strength before he could move it. He then took the small ceramic cup and scooped out a cup-full of water. He hurriedly poured the water inside his water bag; even though Jun Shu was the one who allowed him to take the water he still felt uncomfortable at the thought of someone else seeing him.
The water skin was soon filled and Shoucheng put back everything to the way it was before dashing away. The laughter and dancing was still going on at full swing when he arrived back at the bonfire. Shuli, Wang Lei and Wang Min were waiting for Shoucheng and waved at him the moment he returned.
“Where did you go?” Wang Lei asked, clearly worried.
“To take some water. My bag’s now full.” Shoucheng smiled with his white teeth shining. Seeing that he was okay, the worried trio didn’t ask anymore questions.
“Let’s go to bed. Huang Rin is probably already asleep.” Wang Min yawned as she started walking towards the tents intended for the Hanzai villagers. The others followed behind her while yawning one after the other. After taking out his straw slippers and placing them outside the tent, Shoucheng entered the cloth tent and saw Huang Rin sprawled on the hay covered cloth. Small snores traveled from her nose and Shoucheng and the others giggled into their hands so they wouldn’t wake Huang Rin up.
Shuli slept next to Huang Rin, who occupied the corner-most spot. She took out a piece of clothing from her bindle and folded it till it became a make-shift pillow. She settled down and twisted to her left and closed her eyes. Wang Min slept next to her while Wang Lei slept next to his sister. Shoucheng took out a thin blanket from his bindle and wrapped it around himself and the others. He lay down and while looking at the moving opening of the tent, he soon entered his dreams.
The sun was bright and its rays were hot. Shoucheng sleepily got up and sleepily woke the others up. Everybody yawned continuously as some brushed their hair and some stretched their limbs. Shoucheng folded the thin blanket and put it back in his bindle. He combed his wild bed hair and walked out of the tent. Almost everyone was up and bustling about. The soldiers, officers and villagers walked around with sleepy eyes and pounding headaches.
Shoucheng put on his slippers and walked forward, realisation hitting him only after he took 5 steps. He immediately held his treasures in fear while other men looked at him with understanding. Wang Lei stood next to Shoucheng and stared off into the distance as if saying goodbye to his jade stem and precious balls. They didn’t have time to hold a goodbye ceremony for their beloved treasures because a number of officers started calling them to assemble.
The villagers trudged forward in dread as they whispered amongst themselves. Officer Fan stood on top of a small wooden platform which allowed him to look down on everyone present. His glare penetrated each villager making them stop their running mouths.
Only when they quieted down did officer Fan begin speaking, “Good morning everyone. You are the young men and women chosen to serve the imperial palace. Today, the women shall set out to perform their duties while the men will have to undergo the procedure to proceed. But you need not worry. We have 10 skilled knifers present today. They were handpicked by the emperor himself so have faith that you will live.”
Officer Fan’s words brought superficial relief to the young men. Deep down none of them wanted to lose their private parts, the one organ that truly represented that they were biologically male. Without those treasures they didn’t know what they would become. Would they be women if they didn’t have their genitals? The idea of them losing the chance of experiencing fatherhood hit harder than death. The thought of them not being able to pass on their genes and seeing miniature versions of themselves brought them pain. They would also have no chance to experience carnal pleasure and even if a woman fell in love with them, they wouldn’t be able to reproduce or experience pleasure together. Thousands of negative thoughts ran through their heads making them hang their heads down and sigh.
“Also today Emperor Jun will personally come to inspect. Please do be in your best behaviour. Now before you start the procedures, everyone is required to take a bath. Water and mugs have been provided so please freshen up before the Emperor arrives.”
Everyone: “...” You could just say that we smell!
The villagers scoffed at officer Fan’s roundabout way of forcing them to take a bath. Shoucheng took a whiff of his body odour. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t pleasant either. It’d been two days since he took a bath and felt like it was time to wash away the dirt on his body.
The male and female washing areas were separated and groups of 10 were allowed to bath at once. Shoucheng stiffened once he saw all the men stripping down without fear and washing themselves. He meekly covered his chest and his eyes traveled down to their package. His face paled seeing their sizes and tried hard to not look at his pants. Wang Lei saw his weird actions and cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Shoucheng, let’s go.”
“Uh...Wang Lei...you go first. I’ll wash..by myself.” Shoucheng gave Wang Lei a stiff smile and pushed him lightly on the shoulders. Wang Lei frowned at his actions but seeing Shoucheng’s expression he just slowly nodded and joined another group getting ready to bathe.
Shoucheng walked a few steps before rushing to a nearby officer. The officer raised his eyebrow at Shoucheng.
“Excuse me, um...can I please bath somewhere else...alone?” Shoucheng’s voice grew meek and quiet at the end of his sentence. The officer’s eyes widened before nodding in understanding.
“I see. Young men these days, getting shy about how big they are. Let me tell you once those treasures get cut off it doesn’t matter how big they were.” The officer patted Shoucheng on the shoulder twice before handing him a small piece of soap and a mug.
“There is a river if you follow this path here. Come back soon and make sure no one sees you.” Shoucheng, stuffed with a pair of clean clothes, soap and a mug nodded dazedly with a light blush coating his cheeks, not daring to refute the officer's words.. He walked towards the narrow path the officer pointed before dashing like the wind and soon disappeared from sight. The officer sighed and shook his head. Old memories of him being a small shy boy embarrassed of his size popped up in his head and he chuckled.
Shoucheng took out his clothes piece by piece while warily looking here and there. He internally thanked the kind officer as he bent down to take a mug of water. The water was surprisingly lukewarm; Shoucheng sped up his movements, soaping up his body and hair before finally washing the fluffy white bubbles away. He sighed in relief once he finished and took a whiff of his armpit. He smiled in satisfaction as he couldn’t smell the faint unpleasant odour present before.
He lightly wiped himself with a small towel he brought before picking up the coarse shirt. But before he could put it on, he heard a small rustle making him freeze in place. The rustling grew louder and he could also hear faint voices. Shoucheng immediately threw on his clothes and wore his straw slippers with wet feet. He bundled up his dirty clothes and placed the soap inside the mug before turning back, ready to dash back to the inner camp.
Suddenly the sound of something falling and hitting the ground could be heard from the other side of the river. Shoucheng stiffened and contemplated turning back to the river. A groan could be heard and Shoucheng bit his lower lip and turned back.
A person with long silver hair was sprawled on the ground. Another person with black hair held in place with jades and hairpins laid on top of them. Shoucheng couldn’t tell if they were male or female because both of their faces were hidden. The pair was panting and Shoucheng noticed that the silver-haired person’s robes were disheveled and undone showing their milky, white skin covered with suspicious marks. “Lovers quarrel…? Should I interfere?”
“Um...excuse me! If-If you both are fighting then maybe you should talk to each other instead because violence is not going to solve anything!”
The pair jolted and looked up at Shoucheng who fidgeted in his spot. He immediately regretted his actions and took a step back.
“N-Nevermind. Please continue. I’m sorry for intruding!” Shoucheng turned back and tried running away but even before he could take a step, something heavy suddenly placed pressure on his back and he fell face first to the ground. He tilted his head and didn’t see anyone on top of him yet the weight he felt left him breathless and tired. Shoucheng squirmed and twisted forward but he couldn’t get far before all his energy was spent. He could hear footsteps walking towards him and whimpered. He wanted to get away but he couldn’t.
The pair finally reached him and stood in front of Shoucheng. One person wore red robes with black designs while the other wore peach-coloured robes with golden designs. Shoucheng could only see the lower parts of their robes and their feet which were encased in black boots. He tried but failed to turn his head up to take a proper look at the two people before him. The soft wind and the flow of the river was the only thing Shoucheng could hear. The pair didn’t speak, making the thick silence even more suffocating. After what seemed like an eternity, the person wearing black robes shifted in their position before speaking.
“Zhen(Emperor’s ‘I’) supposes you will not tell anyone about what you saw?”
Shoucheng's heartbeat quickened upon hearing the domineering voice and the figure of speech the person used. If anyone else had used such a form to speak about themselves they would’ve long been beheaded. Shoucheng’s eyes widened and he swallowed thickly; the emperor was in front of him! Shoucheng felt dizzy, fear crippled his body and he couldn’t answer.
The emperor crouched down to Shoucheng’s level and buried his fingers inside Shoucheng’s short, black hair. Shoucheng’s breath hitched as the emperor tightened his grip and slowly pulled Shoucheng’s hair, harshly making Shoucheng look at him. Shoucheng whimpered in pain and let out choked sobs. The emperor stared at him with a burning gaze, his eyebrows taunt with anger. The vice grip grew tighter and harsher, making two drops of clear liquid roll down Shoucheng’s cheeks.
“Answer me!” The emperor’s voice was low and terrifying. Shoucheng nodded as broken promises spilled from his mouth.
“T-This low-lowly servant w-will n-never speak ab-about what-” Shoucheng let out a pained scream as the emperor pulled his hair and with an evil smile curled his hand around Shoucheng’s hair and smashed his face directly on the ground. Shoucheng let out a broken scream as his body shook in fear and pain.
“If Zhen hears any rumours about this…” The emperor didn’t finish his words and stood up and left while dragging his silent companion along.
Shoucheng sobbed and moved his body, the heavy weight finally disappearing from his back. He rubbed his dirty face and looked at his dirt-stained clothes and weekly brushed the dirt off them. His mind still couldn’t process what had happened and he sat on the ground with a blank expression. Tears ran down his cheeks like a raging waterfall and he hugged himself. Terror struck his heart as he realised with great pain that...his end was near.
Trivia:
- Zhen: An emperor uses 'Zhen' to refer to themselves. Example: 'I am ordering you to die' To 'Zhen orders you to die'
- This lowly servant: A way to degrade oneself in front of someone with higher standing in order to flatter them.
- Treasures: Male genitals.
