Chapter 88

The two little eunuchs saw that Liu Yao was stunned and actually dared to ignore them. They immediately became furious and shouted again, "Where are you from?"

Liu Yao was startled by the little eunuchs' voices and quickly reacted. He looked at the two coldly. Shi A, seeing that someone was being disrespectful to his master, was about to step in to teach them a lesson.

"Shut up!" At this moment, the little eunuch who had been following behind Liu Yao finally ran over, panting heavily. This little eunuch had always lived in the palace and could not match the speed of Liu Yao and the others, so he had fallen far behind. Now, he was finally catching up, but he was already out of breath.

However, as soon as he arrived, he saw his two companions angrily scolding Liu Yao, almost frightened out of his wits. He quickly stepped forward to stop them.

"Both of you scoundrels, kneel down and apologize to the Crown Prince!" the little eunuch shouted loudly.

These three little eunuchs seemed to know each other. The other two little eunuchs, upon hearing the words "Crown Prince," were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they knelt down, continuously kowtowing. "Please spare us, Your Highness! We beg for our lives, Your Highness..."

"Heh, you two are quite something. This is the first time someone has dared to speak to me like this," Liu Yao said coldly, squinting his eyes. "Whose eunuchs are you?"

"Your Highness, we serve under Lord Zhang Rang," the two little eunuchs stammered.

"Zhang Rang, I see. No wonder." Liu Yao looked enlightened. It was no wonder they were so arrogant, relying on Zhang Rang's influence. Liu Yao was not surprised.

"What happened? Why did you two insult and beat her?" Liu Yao asked, his face full of anger.

The two little eunuchs, though terrified, still said defiantly, "Your Highness, this lowly servant broke Lord Zhang Rang's favorite headdress, the Diaochan Crown. Therefore, Lord Zhang Rang ordered us to teach her a lesson."

Liu Yao was furious upon hearing this. Zhang Rang was really putting on airs, punishing someone so severely just because of a headdress. It was as if he didn't consider others as human. Liu Yao then said coldly, "Since that's the case, I won't pursue this matter. However, you two dared to insult me. Go back to Zhang Rang and tell him I'm waiting for his explanation."

"Yes, Your Highness," the two little eunuchs said happily. In their hearts, they probably believed that Zhang Rang would protect them. But how could Zhang Rang risk offending Liu Yao for two minor figures?

"Get out of here," Liu Yao said with disgust. The two little eunuchs ran away like they were fleeing for their lives.

Liu Yao then walked to the little palace maid. Shi A had already helped her up. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured, just a few scratches on her hand.

"Your Highness, this servant greets you," the palace maid said, bowing as Liu Yao approached.

Liu Yao waved his hand casually and said calmly, "You are injured, no need for such formalities. What is your name?"

"I have no name. I have been a palace maid since childhood, in charge of the Diaochan Crown. Therefore, everyone calls me Diaochan," Diaochan said softly, lowering her head.

"Bang!" Diaochan's words hit Liu Yao's heart like a heavy hammer. "Diaochan, damn, she is Diaochan, one of the four great beauties of ancient times. No wonder she is so enchanting. No wonder Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo fought to the death over her in history. She is truly a born beauty. But isn't she Wang Yun's adopted daughter? Could it be that she was expelled from the palace because of this incident and later adopted by Wang Yun?"

Liu Yao was filled with admiration and many questions, but his eyes remained fixed on Diaochan, unwilling to look away.

"Your Highness," Diaochan said, blushing and feeling a bit embarrassed as she saw Liu Yao staring at her so openly. This only made her even more beautiful.

"Cough, cough." Liu Yao noticed his behavior was a bit too bold and quickly coughed to cover his embarrassment. This was not the modern world where looking at beautiful women was a common habit. In the Eastern Han, such behavior was highly inappropriate.

However, Liu Yao had already made up his mind to take Diaochan under his wing. To put it nicely, he wanted to change her fate and prevent her from becoming a political pawn. To put it bluntly, Liu Yao had taken a fancy to Diaochan. How could he let such a remarkable woman slip away?

As for Dong Zhuo's future, who cared? By then, the Han Dynasty would already be in chaos, and Dong Zhuo's mission would be complete. Whether he lived or died would be irrelevant. Besides, without Diaochan, there might be another Wang Chan or Li Chan, and Wang Yun could still use his stratagem.

Liu Yao then turned to the little eunuch, "Go find a carriage for me."

The little eunuch, without asking why, immediately ran off to prepare.

Diaochan lowered her head, secretly observing Liu Yao, her face flushed with shyness.

Beauty loves heroes. Not to mention that Liu Yao had just saved her. With his reputation, he was the most famous hero in the entire Han Dynasty, and his noble status made him the dream of most young girls. Diaochan was no exception. She knew the gap in their status, so just being able to see Liu Yao was enough for her. As for other things, she did not dare to hope. If Diaochan knew that Liu Yao was already planning to take her, she would not know whether to be happy or not.

"From today on, you will stay by my side. Are you willing?" Liu Yao asked, maintaining his composure.

"Ah!!!" Diaochan exclaimed in surprise. Happiness came too suddenly. She had just been thinking about it, and now it was happening. Being by Liu Yao's side, even as a servant, was the dream of many young girls.

"Do you not agree?" Liu Yao asked, a bit nervous, seeing Diaochan's expression. After all, if Diaochan refused, would he force her?

"I am willing," Diaochan said without hesitation, then added, "But I still have duties in the palace."

Liu Yao was overjoyed to hear Diaochan say she was willing. He smiled and said, "Don't worry about that." It was a joke to think that, with his status, taking someone from the palace would be difficult. It was just a matter of a word.

Having Diaochan stay with him was a temporary arrangement. Liu Yao could not just say, "I fancy you, I want to take you as my concubine." While that was not impossible, it would be too abrupt for a lady. Liu Yao, with his 21st-century mindset, did not approve of political marriages or forcing someone's feelings. He still believed in mutual affection, like he and Cai Yan, childhood sweethearts who fell in love over time.

Liu Yao had also noticed that Diaochan looked at him with a different gaze, suggesting she had some feelings for him. Therefore, keeping Diaochan by his side would allow their relationship to develop naturally.

Soon, the little eunuch returned with a carriage.

"Get in," Liu Yao said to Diaochan. The little eunuch, being very clever, knew that Diaochan could not climb into such a high carriage. He immediately lay down to serve as a step. Liu Yao nodded in approval, thinking he should have his father reward him.

"This..." Diaochan was hesitant, having never seen such a scene before. She was at a loss for a moment, but her heart was as sweet as honey.

"Get in," Liu Yao encouraged her again. Diaochan hesitated for a while, then, still feeling uncomfortable, stepped on the little eunuch's back and got into the carriage. Liu Yao and Shi A then stepped into the carriage, not needing any help.

The little eunuch got up and sat in the driver's seat, driving the carriage towards Empress Dowager Dong's palace. After all, Diaochan's hand was injured, and it needed to be bandaged as soon as possible.