The seventy-two lanes of Tai'an City were arranged in a perfect grid like a chessboard, with buildings closely packed together, each neatly positioned.

The imperial city was majestic, with grand palace complexes blocking the sun, where every hundred steps revealed another tower. The palace buildings, constructed according to the terrain, featured flying eaves and intricately designed brackets, embracing one another in a harmonious manner.

In the corner of the palace, there was a modest room with low walls and plain windows. Lin Yan felt disoriented, as two memories—one familiar, the other foreign—twisted together like a tangled rope, coiling and twisting in his consciousness. The dizziness made him feel like his head might explode at any moment.

The familiar memory was of an office shaking violently while he was working, followed by a sudden sinking feeling, and then unconsciousness. It must have been an earthquake, and something falling must have struck him.

The unfamiliar memory also came from someone named Lin Yan—things like morning roll calls, delivering meals, red walls, green tiles, and a cold palace...

He suddenly sat up.

Bright light streamed through a corner of the window, casting a column of light and dust on the floor.

“What is going on?” he muttered, gazing confusedly at his surroundings. The room was sparsely furnished, with a large bed untouched, giving it a vacant feel. There were a few boxes, a table, and two cabinets—nothing more, making the space feel empty.

“Where am I...?”

As more information merged into his consciousness, everything became clear: he had crossed over. The original owner of this body... Lin Yan shuddered violently and lifted his clothes.

“Better off dead!”

Lin Yan let himself go completely, his body slamming back onto the cold, hard bed.

The good news was, he had crossed over.

The bad news was, he had become a eunuch.

His eyes drifted aimlessly across the beams of the room, as uncontrollable information about the original owner and the world around him flooded his mind.

The original owner had worked in the Imperial Kitchen, responsible for delivering meals to the concubines of the cold palace.

It seemed like a cushy job, but in reality, it was filled with danger. The meals were standardized, and going from luxury to simplicity was a challenge. Inevitably, some concubines would request special meals. Complying would break the rules, ignoring it was dangerous—nobody knew if the concubine who had fallen from favor would rise again the next day. In other words, many concubines had powerful supporters in the court, and offending them could bring trouble.

The original owner had apparently offended someone over a matter of principle, leading to a sudden, mysterious illness that resulted in his death.

The room also housed a Vice Manager of the Imperial Kitchen, an old eunuch who had passed away some time ago.

Thinking about this world, Lin Yan felt a faint sadness.

It was a magical continent known as Jiuzhou, with secret realms, vast oceans, a thousand-year-old human empire, and the barbaric demon kingdoms.

There were seven major schools of divine arts in this world, including Martial God Path, Confucian God Path, Ink God Path, Law God Path, and Qing God Path.

The sacred scholars of Confucianism could speak heaven’s will, the great masters of the Law School could reach the heavens, the sages of the Ink School were ingenious craftsmen, the Buddhist monks preached to all beings, Taoist priests rode clouds, and martial artists could shatter mountains.

The good news was that even eunuchs could cultivate in the palace.

The bad news was, no matter how they cultivated, they would still be eunuchs.

The sun hung low in the distance as Lin Yan lay in a daze for nearly half an hour before getting out of bed.

“Well, if I’m here, I might as well make the best of it,” he thought. After all, Dongfang Bubai was a eunuch, and he had trained himself to become a top-tier figure. Lin Yan successfully convinced himself.

He got up, stretched, and headed toward the kitchen. It was time for roll call.

The sunset painted the sky in shades of red and orange as the chief eunuch, Tian Gonggong, began calling out the assignments.

“Xiao Guizi, first to fifth courtyard!”

“Xiao Dezhi, sixth to tenth courtyard!”

“Xiao Yanzi, eleventh to fifteenth courtyard!”

After the assignments were made, Lin Yan quickly grabbed two oval-shaped food containers, each with five layers, and headed toward the cold palace.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Passing through corridors, he saw the cold palace's gardens, with high platforms and thick trees, green tiles, and red eaves, exuding an ancient charm. The cold palace was as grand as the rest of the imperial palace but lacked the bustle of everyday life.

There were three thousand beauties in the harem, and it wasn’t an exaggeration.

From the original owner’s memories, Emperor Wei practiced secret arts, and the imperial palace housed consorts, concubines, and various levels of beauties, including noble ladies and palace maids. Each level of concubine was numerous.

In such a prosperous imperial family, power struggles were inevitable, with concubines possessing various skills. When disputes arose, swords and daggers were drawn, often causing harm to innocent eunuchs and palace maids.

For these reasons, the cold palace was vast. As a eunuch delivering meals, one needed to be perceptive, diplomatic, and skilled at navigating delicate situations to avoid trouble.

Lin Yan quickly reviewed the information about the concubine Chen Cairen in the eleventh courtyard.

She was one of the few concubines without a powerful family background, born in a theater troupe. The Empress Dowager loved opera, and when she celebrated her birthday, she invited a troupe to perform. Chen Cairen’s performance was so impressive that Emperor Wei took notice and brought her into the palace.

How she fell out of favor was unclear.

Her temperament was gentle, making her the easiest type to deal with.

Concubines and favored ladies sent to the cold palace often had one or two palace maids to serve them, but lower-ranking concubines like Chen Cairen had to manage everything themselves.

Therefore, Chen Cairen was easy to work with.

As dusk fell, the sound of opera singing drifted from the courtyard ahead of him.

This was the unpredictability of life, a song sung from the heart, full of emotions. Looking back, the grandeur seemed like a fleeting dream, and what remained of life was but a thread amid the raging waves.

"Hidden beneath the dark trees, the flowers bloom. Rest now and laugh, proud of your good deeds. You sow good fortune, you reap good fortune, yet I regret the past gift of a wooden peach."

Lin Yan couldn't tell where the song came from, but the voice was enchanting, full of twists and turns that seemed to electrify him. It felt as though his soul was struck, and something deep inside him awakened.

Lin Yan couldn’t help but think of a line of poetry often used to praise the art of the pear garden: "A single note tells the stories of ages past; with a flick of the wrist, a hundred thousand soldiers move."

"Perhaps this is what they mean by the fusion of person and performance."

Unable to resist, he interrupted Chen Cairen’s singing. He still had to deliver the meals to Chen Cairen and the concubines of the twelfth courtyard. Afterward, he had to hurry back to deliver meals to the other three courtyards.

He deliberately stepped heavier to make his presence known, and the song in the hall immediately stopped.

"Screech!"

The door creaked open, and Chen Cairen appeared in his line of sight.

She was wearing a bright red palace gown, her hair like a beautiful garment, glowing under the fading sunlight. Her figure was graceful and delicate, and her features were exquisite, with eyes that held the depth of Tang poetry and the elegance of Song lyrics.

Lin Yan bowed slightly, “Please enjoy your meal, Madam Cairen.”

"Thank you, Gonggong," she replied with a faint smile.

Lin Yan didn’t respond verbally, but quickly placed the four dishes, one soup, and a bowl of rice on the table.

"Please take your time."

Lin Yan was about to leave when she stopped him.

“Gonggong, wait a moment!”

“What can I do for you, Madam?”

Chen Cairen glanced at the courtyard and then quickly took out an exquisitely crafted silver hairpin, saying, "Could you help me gather a few herbs?"

Without thinking, Lin Yan responded, “Please don’t trouble yourself, Madam. If you’re feeling unwell, I can report it to Gonggong Tian and have the Imperial Doctor visit you.”

“Please, Gonggong,” Chen Cairen said, her eyes filled with a pleading expression, as if on the verge of tears.

Lin Yan was not moved. "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall," he reminded himself.

Suddenly, a bright golden light appeared before Lin Yan’s eyes. As the light dissipated, a treasure cauldron materialized in front of him. It was adorned with intricate patterns, cracks, cicada motifs, and mountain and water designs, gleaming in gold and jade, exuding a sense of grandeur.

Lin Yan froze for a moment. In an instant, countless patterns appeared on the cauldron, forming words.

【The cold palace is treacherous, fortune and disaster are intertwined. One step leads to fortune, one step leads to disaster. A wise man will see clearly and avoid unseen danger.】

【Disaster: If ignored, the Empress Dowager loves opera, and Cairen’s death could be blamed on you. Nine lives lost, one saved.】

【Neutral: If you report truthfully, the disaster is not caused by you, no harm or benefit.】

【Fortune: Acting quickly, the slightest kindness will be rewarded by Heaven. Triggered 'Earth' level opportunity, gain Qing God Path 'Excellent Actor' yellow fate.】

【Hidden: Winds begin in the green reeds, and waves arise from small ripples. Cairen entering the palace will likely involve power struggles, and future events are hard to predict, with hidden dangers lurking.】

【Destiny: Lin Yan】

【Fate: None】

【Cultivation: None】

【Skills: None】

Lin Yan stared, initially unsure, but then realized this was his "golden finger."

"Chen Cairen can't see it, so it must be the golden finger!"

He was absolutely certain now. A huge wave of excitement swept through him.

After all the struggles, Heaven hadn’t forsaken him. As a eunuch, he had received the golden finger! Nothing could be more satisfying than having a self-preserving ability in a world full of cultivation and power struggles in the harem.

Having lived two lives, Lin Yan was used to hiding his emotions and masking his feelings.

He tried to focus on the golden finger, and the treasure cauldron and its inscriptions disappeared from view.

Lin Yan quickly analyzed it. The golden finger seemed to be some sort of divination tool, helping him avoid calamity and seek fortune.

The "disaster" fortune meant ignoring the situation would result in a deadly consequence.

The "fortune" option was a timely action, offering a chance to gain a "earth"-level opportunity and a special fate linked to the Qing God Path "Excellent Actor" yellow fate.

The "neutral" fortune simply suggested reporting honestly, without causing harm or benefiting from the situation.

In this world, there were many paths to cultivate, and the martial path was the most revered among the seven great divine paths. Martial artists followed a nine-level progression: Body Forging, Internal Strengthening, Bone Cleansing, Pulse Opening, Strength Transformation, True Essence, Sea Wheel, Innate, and Divine Path.

Chen Cairen’s exceptional opera skills hinted at her connection to the "Excellent Actor" fate, which could be linked to this path.

Lin Yan was familiar with the concept of fate. In simple terms, it was like the destiny that guided a person’s life—related to wealth, companions, law, and all the aspects that affected their future.

He continued to think it through.

The "Earth" opportunity was high-level, and the yellow fate of "Excellent Actor" was likely connected to her background.

Then there was the hidden fortune, which involved unknown risks. Lin Yan decided to focus on fortune and use the golden finger for a positive outcome.

"Okay!"

Chen Cairen’s eyes brightened, and she quickly handed him a note and the silver hairpin.