The moment of imminent castration was upon him, and he indeed needed to quickly devise a plan to get through this hurdle first!
[Congratulations to the host for successfully learning the first tier of the锦囊妙计 (Jǐnnáng Miàojì - Pocket Strategy) skill. Skill usage count has increased, and the tier will also rise.]
[Does the host wish to use the skill?]
Chu Chen chose to use it without hesitation. A progress bar appeared out of thin air and quickly loaded.
"The head eunuch of the Department of Rites is named Han Yuan, a native of Jiangyun, Nanyang. He is the eldest son of the Han family, with a younger brother named Han Yu. Han Yuan entered the palace in his youth and has never been able to return home since. His greatest wish in this life is to reunite with his family."
"The head eunuch of the Department of Rites? Isn't that the old eunuch from just now?"
Hearing the key clues provided by the system, Chu Chen immediately had a brilliant idea.
He never expected this old eunuch, who seemed unreasonable, to have such a wish!
Perhaps he could be the key to his escape!
As he was thinking this, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door.
"Oh? I thought you would sneak away, but you're so well-behaved? What, you know the benefits of being a eunuch now?"
Eunuch Han said jokingly, approaching Chu Chen and picking up the cleaver from the table again.
"Wait! Brother..."
"Presumptuous! A mere commoner, daring to call me brother? In the Department of Rites, you must call me Head Eunuch!"
"Yes, yes! Head Eunuch, before you begin, I'd like to ask you something! So I don't miss the chance to ask after I faint from the pain!"
Seeing Chu Chen's eager look, Eunuch Han did not refuse.
"Alright! Make it quick, and don't try any tricks!"
"Head Eunuch, looking at your attire, you must hold a prominent position in the palace, right?"
"Of course! I entered the palace at sixteen and have been here for nearly forty years! I know everything about the palace!"
Chu Chen tried a flattering remark, and surprisingly, Eunuch Han fell for it!
It seemed that the workplace skills accumulated in the real world were still useful here!
"Then, do you happen to know a eunuch named Han Yuan?"
Hearing this, the Head Eunuch's face immediately darkened:
"Han Yuan? How do you know this person? What's your relationship with him?"
"To be honest, I am from Jiangyun County, Nanyang, and Eunuch Han is my fellow townsman..."
"Nonsense! Eunuch Han doesn't remember having a fellow townsman like you!"
Seeing this unfamiliar face before him, Han Yuan immediately concluded that Chu Chen was lying.
However, the latter had already anticipated this and immediately changed his tone:
"It's true! Even if I had ten guts, I wouldn't dare lie to you, Head Eunuch! I also know that Eunuch Han has a brother named Han Yu, and the age Han Yuan entered the palace is similar to yours!"
Seeing that Chu Chen knew so much about his background, Han Yuan couldn't help but waver for a moment.
Perhaps he left home too early, so he didn't remember this fellow townsman?
"Then why are you asking about Han Yuan?"
"Actually... I was entrusted by Eunuch Han's family to specifically come to the imperial city to find him! Eunuch Han has been away for decades with no news. His family worries about him encountering misfortune in the palace, and they haven't been able to eat or sleep properly. The health of his parents is deteriorating day by day!"
"For this reason, Han Yu specifically asked me to come and inquire about his brother's whereabouts. But I never expected to be captured and made a eunuch by mistake! Head Eunuch, if I can't get out, could you trouble yourself to tell Eunuch Han to find a way to send word to his family to let them know he's safe, so that his parents don't worry about him anymore!"
Chu Chen's acting skills were definitely on par with today's popular young actors. Even though he knew the person before him was Han Yuan, he never revealed it, pretending not to know him.
This tactic indeed worked. Han Yuan immediately shed tears and knelt on the ground with a thud:
"Father! Mother! Your son is unfilial! You have suffered!"
"Hey! Head Eunuch, what are you doing? I was talking about Eunuch Han, why are you crying?"
"Little brother, take a closer look. I am Han Yuan!"
Chu Chen pretended to observe carefully for a moment and then immediately put on a dramatic act:
"You... you are really Han Yuan? Look at my eyes! I didn't even recognize you!"
"After so many years apart, even my own brother might not recognize me!"
Han Yuan wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and quickly stood up:
"It's good that you told me this. If they had really castrated you, I would never have known!"
"Head Eunuch, since the message has been delivered, I think you should leave the palace immediately and go back to see your family!"
Hearing this, Han Yuan's eyes dimmed:
"If I could leave the palace, I wouldn't be without news! Since becoming Head Eunuch, I am no longer in control of my own actions!"
"Then what should we do? My brother is still waiting for my news, and now I'm about to be initiated into the palace. Won't their hopes be dashed?"
Chu Chen deliberately said this, and Han Yuan immediately fell for it:
"No! Since you came to the imperial city for my family, I absolutely cannot do anything ungrateful!"
With that, Han Yuan put the cleaver back on the table, allowing Chu Chen to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"In that case, then release me quickly so I can rush back to the village and report your safety!"
"But... once you enter the palace, it's not so easy to get out! You probably don't know that everyone who comes to the Department of Rites has only two paths: either be castrated and become a eunuch, or become a corpse and be thrown out of the palace!"
Hearing this, Chu Chen lowered his head and pondered for a moment:
"Then how about this! I'll pretend to be dead, and you can take me out of the palace while you have the chance?"
"No! The imperial city is heavily guarded, and the soldiers are all highly cultivated. They can sense the difference between a living person and a dead one at a glance!"
After all, Chu Chen had not transmigrated into a mortal world. Here, apart from eunuchs, every man cultivated immortality.
Trying to sneak out by faking death was clearly not realistic.
After all this effort, he had only managed to save his precious parts, which was a blessing in disguise.
But just as Chu Chen was comforting himself, Han Yuan in front of him suddenly picked up the cleaver again.
"Head Eunuch, you... what are you doing? Didn't you say you would let me go back to deliver a message?"
"Don't rush, I've thought of a good idea!"
A meaningful smile appeared on Han Yuan's face as he slowly approached, holding the cleaver.
A strong desire to survive drove Chu Chen to struggle desperately, but after a while, his vision suddenly went black, and he lost consciousness.
Han Yuan slowly raised the knife in his hand...