Eunuch Changshun

Biodata

Background / History

Changshun has attended Emperor Mingze, Jiang Yanchuan, for many years, managing his daily needs and enjoying his deep trust. His familiarity with the emperor allows him to interpret small changes in expression, including whether the sovereign objects to his affectionate treatment of Jiang Yingcheng 3.

His standing makes him immediately recognizable to palace servants. Even in the neglected Fragrant Pavilion, the abusive maid Zuilan recognizes him at once and drops to her knees. Consort Lan likewise regards his presence as protection against Noble Consort Rou’s influence 15 30.

As Yingcheng’s influence expands, Changshun continues serving as an intermediary between the emperor, palace residents, officials, and visiting rulers. His duties extend to supervising covert surveillance, handling intelligence she provides, and assisting the Crown Prince while Emperor Mingze is away on campaign 174 216 423 428.

He also accompanies the emperor’s traveling party outside the capital. During their travels, he searches a room for hidden weapons and is unwillingly used as the supposedly dying elder in Ying Sinan’s scheme to obtain early admission to Yuntong Mountain 313 326.

Personality

Changshun combines careful court etiquette with a warm, almost grandfatherly attachment to Jiang Yingcheng. Her spontaneous affection quickly wins him over, and her determination to protect him gives him what he describes inwardly as his first experience of someone standing up for him. He prepares sweets and toys for her journeys, carries her when she is tired, and finds her sincerity especially precious after years of palace scheming 3 7 11 27 28.

He is shrewd rather than blindly indulgent. He plays along with Yingcheng’s performances while often recognizing the deception behind them, but remains firm when she invents excuses to avoid school. Toward abusive servants, his kindness gives way to intimidation and decisive orders 13 16 30 31 46.

Hearing Yingcheng’s thoughts leaves him torn between amusement and anxiety. Officials’ private scandals entertain him, but warnings of public disaster trouble his conscience. Imperial secrets are particularly uncomfortable because the emperor knows that Changshun has overheard them 5 22 24.

His affection does not prevent him from recognizing Yingcheng’s habits. He develops a reliable method of persuading her to attend lessons by offering pastries to share with her classmates, refuses to believe her false claim that her teacher beats her, and later has her sedan chair removed before she can escape school 58 104 135. Nevertheless, her promise of a “great deed” is enough to persuade him to divert an outing to the Cold Palace 54.

His fear of dangerous knowledge grows as Yingcheng exposes more sensitive imperial scandals. He retreats into the shadows while she investigates the sale of the emperor’s birth details, strikes a screen upon hearing of Noble Consort Rou’s attachment to Prince Jing, and eventually collapses after overhearing the revelations about Prince Xin’s parentage and Consort Shu’s revenge 126 240.

Changshun’s distress is often expressed through exaggerated, darkly comic reactions. After Liaochen abruptly carries Yingcheng out of the palace, he asks a subordinate to fetch three feet of white silk; after hearing Prince Xin’s secrets, he privately wishes for enough money to secure his burial 158 240. He is also deeply unsettled by Yingcheng’s admiration for a Demon Cult woman whose retaliation involved poisoning an entire orthodox sect 313.

Abilities & Skills

Hearing Jiang Yingcheng’s Thoughts

Changshun first recognizes that he can hear Yingcheng’s unspoken voice while escorting her to the imperial physician. He watches her face closely enough to confirm that she has not spoken aloud 3.

• Hidden information: Her thoughts disclose his predicted poisoning, official corruption, threats to imperial children, and an assassin’s hiding place 3 5 22 31.
• Selective access: Emperor Mingze theorizes that mutual affection determines who can hear her; Changshun is one of his examples 7.
• Recognizing other listeners: He realizes that Consort Qing and Consort Lan can also hear Yingcheng’s thoughts 17.
• Limits: He struggles to remember a rapid stream of revelations for later reporting. Yingcheng remains unaware that he can hear her 17 24.
• Immediate use of intelligence: When his investigation has not identified Yu Kaiji’s contact, Yingcheng’s thoughts supply Ni Yingyi’s name. Changshun immediately incorporates the lead into his report under the explanation that a palace servant witnessed a private meeting 174.
• Sensitive imperial history: He hears revelations concerning Prince Xin’s possible lack of biological kinship with the Late Emperor, Consort Shu’s identity and revenge, and Prince Xin’s manipulation of Prince Jing 240.

Palace Authority and Intimidation

Years beside Emperor Mingze have taught Changshun to imitate much of the emperor’s icy bearing. This is particularly effective against inexperienced palace servants 16.

• Pressures Miaoxi when she refuses to identify the residence she serves 16.
• Orders attendants to remove Zuilan for abusing her mistress and disrespecting the princess 31.
• Summons assistance, directs eunuchs, and relays messages and imperial summons 26 43.
• Directs attendants to carry out Xiwu’s punishment after the emperor orders twenty strokes 125.
• Forces maids serving Consort Wan to produce the beaded bracelets they have concealed, maintaining his stern manner despite Yingcheng’s enthusiastic private praise 128.
• Reads imperial decrees aloud, including the rewards announced to Kan Ruifeng and the military generals after the Prince Xin affair 545.

Discretion and Protective Coordination

Changshun uses plausible explanations and carefully managed appearances to support the emperor’s plans without revealing Yingcheng’s unusual ability 13 24 28.

• Pretends to have wandered accidentally to Fragrant Pavilion and plays along with Yingcheng’s hide-and-seek scheme 13.
• Manages the Imperial Garden incidents arranged by the emperor to help Yingcheng earn merit points 26 28.
• Orders quiet movement and summons nearby hidden guards before approaching the assassin’s room 32.
• Recommends Yuan Liangping as a teaching assistant so he can report Yingcheng’s classroom revelations to the emperor 48.
• Dismisses eunuchs who do not know about Yingcheng’s unusual ability before Fang Siwan and Cheng Yunmeng discuss it with the emperor 53.
• Plays along when Emperor Mingze asks for a nonexistent rattan cane to frighten the children 113.
• Sends Yu Kaiji home under the pretext of rest while Wei Shisan and his men follow him and prepare a surveillance net 174.
• Receives Guan Xi’s rough map of suspicious groups in the capital after Yingcheng’s thoughts clarify its errors, with the emperor entrusting him with further investigation 216.
• Recognizes the emperor’s unspoken instruction to read General Kan’s memorial aloud and helps stage the apparent mistake used to introduce the Beiming campaign to Yingcheng 399.

Caretaking and Practical Service

• Prepares sweets and toys for Yingcheng’s sedan-chair journeys and carries her when she is tired 11 27.
• Keeps her occupied with sweets during court proceedings 38.
• Uses pastries and the prospect of sharing them with her classmates to persuade her to attend lessons 58.
• Oversees meal service and arranges tea and pastries during palace discussions 88 129.
• Carries a low table into the Imperial Carriage at Yingcheng’s request for her planned picnic with her brothers 115.
• Takes the carriage driver’s whip and urges both horses onward when Emperor Mingze orders greater speed during the search for Yingcheng 142.
• Searches bedding for concealed weapons during the imperial party’s travels, finding a hidden silver needle 313.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Yingcheng’s Injury and the Poisoning Warning

• Notices Yingcheng’s forehead wound, rebukes the attendants for failing to summon a physician, and orders medical help 1.
• Carries out the emperor’s search of the surrounding snow and presents the recovered cuff button, providing evidence connected to the attack on Yingcheng 2.
• Learns through her thoughts that a eunuch near him is destined to poison him, leaving him bleeding from all seven orifices 3.
• Yingcheng stages a fall to secure that eunuch’s punishment. Changshun reports the beating and recommends expulsion, following her original plan. The emperor instead asks whether he wants to discover who stands behind the would-be poisoner 7.

Court Revelations and Palace Intrigue

• Hears warnings about a dangerously repaired moat embankment and worries that remaining silent could cost innocent lives, while not knowing how to explain his source 5.
• Asks whether the Seventh Prince should receive better care after hearing that he will eventually restore Great Rui. The emperor chooses to give Yingcheng time to improve their relationship first 9.
• Escorts Yingcheng to Fragrant Pavilion, where his presence gives Consort Lan confidence that she can resist Miaoxi’s suspicious summons 13 15.
• Helps expose Miaoxi’s connection to Noble Consort Rou and explains the incident to Consort Qing. Qing later leaves him outside Flowing Splendor Hall so he can discreetly report events to the emperor 16 20.
• Accompanies Yingcheng and Yuan Liangping toward Wuyang Hall, trying to retain the officials’ scandals revealed along the way 24.
• Supplies Yingcheng with sweets while she observes morning court 38.

The Fragrant Pavilion Assassin

• Stops Zuilan’s attack on the children and orders her removal after Yingcheng exposes her longstanding abuse of Consort Lan and Jiang Xingran 30 31.
• Joins the search for the assassin who attacked Emperor Mingze the previous month, with both protection and the prospect of earning credit motivating him 31.
• Calls in hidden guards beforehand, then shields Yingcheng with his own trembling body when the armed assassin emerges 32.
• Yingcheng shelters behind him before offering herself as a more valuable hostage in an attempt to save Jiang Xingran 33.
• Supports Lu Yao’s account crediting Jiang Xingran with the decisive arrow shot, although Lu Yao actually fired it 34.

Duke Wang’s Case and Palace School

• Accompanies Lu Yao and Yingcheng to the Court of Judicial Review, immediately understanding that Lu Yao wants her system’s help to uncover the truth behind Duke Wang’s imprisonment 34.
• Protects Yingcheng during the prison visit and takes her away after the revelations provide Lu Yao with a lead to a surviving witness 35.
• Escorts her to school despite repeated excuses, then responds when she stages an accusation against Jiang Yunjian while defending Jiang Xingran 46 47.
• Recommends Yuan Liangping for the school post that lets him monitor and report her unspoken discoveries 48.
• Develops a successful routine of presenting the emperor’s pastries as gifts she can share with her classmates to win their affection 58.
• Remains unmoved when she falsely claims that her teacher hits her hard, knowing that the teacher is fond of her and has never subjected her to corporal punishment 104.
• Anticipates another attempt to evade lessons and has her sedan chair carried away before she can flee 135.

The Cold Palace and Noble Consort Rou’s Scandals

• Removes uninformed attendants before Fang Siwan and Cheng Yunmeng discuss information obtained from Yingcheng’s thoughts with Emperor Mingze 53.
• Changes his planned route after Yingcheng promises a “great deed” at the Cold Palace. They arrive to find the emperor, Fang Siwan, and Cheng Yunmeng dealing with a woman who has taken a Blood Letter and climbed a tree 54.
• Directs Xiwu’s removal for punishment during the confrontation over the Witchcraft Doll 125.
• Retreats into the shadows as Yingcheng exposes court historian Zeng Wencheng’s trade in the emperor’s birth details 126.
• Accidentally strikes a screen when Yingcheng reveals that Noble Consort Rou’s cherished first love is Prince Jing, the emperor’s younger brother 126.
• Sternly demands that Consort Wan’s maids surrender their concealed beaded bracelets, nearly losing his composure under Yingcheng’s delighted praise 128.
• Arranges tea and pastries while the emperor, Consort Qing, and Fang Siwan listen to Yingcheng’s discoveries about the ruler of Gaoyang 129.

The Mysterious Prisoner and Yu Xingmian

• Takes Yingcheng for a rare quiet walk after she fails to obtain information about a prisoner referred to only as “that person.” His pleasure in their time together turns to distress when she sweetly questions him and then threatens to make a fuss if he will not answer 157.
• Reports that the Eastern Depot has captured Yu Xingmian, initially describing him as the formidable leader of a demonic sect and explaining that his voluntary arrival made the capture possible 158.
• Listens as Liaochen challenges that description and explains the Ink Rain Association’s origins as an intelligence network persecuted by orthodox martial factions 158.
• Is left behind when Yingcheng goads Liaochen into carrying her out of the palace. Faced with a subordinate’s question about what to do, Changshun responds with a darkly comic request for three feet of white silk 158.

Prince Jing’s Agents and Capital Intelligence

• Presents the memorial requesting Prince Jing’s entry into the capital, confirming that it was secretly placed among routine memorials of thanks 174.
• Identifies newly appointed palace attendant Yu Kaiji as the person who planted it and reports that Wei Shisan’s men are following him 174.
• Uses Yingcheng’s thoughts to fill the gap in the investigation, reporting Ni Yingyi as a suspicious contact under the cover of a palace servant’s eyewitness account. Emperor Mingze assigns the matter to Lu Yao 174.
• Admits Lu Yao and Zhong Chengwang to the emperor’s bedchamber before dawn for Zhong’s account of Yingcheng’s experiences and thoughts from the previous night 176.
• Hands Yu Anlan the incriminating letters presented by the emperor 196.
• Informs Qiu Ji, ruler of Jianggu, that Yingcheng is Emperor Mingze’s most beloved princess, prompting the ruler to seek her favor 216.
• Receives the corrected map of suspicious groups and their haunts in the capital for investigation 216.

Prince Xin’s Secrets and Yingcheng’s Birth Mother

• Responds to the emperor’s silent signal by summoning Lu Yao and Xing Junchu to report on the mysterious martial artist captured after following the children into an underground passage 238.
• Overhears the revelations that Prince Xin may not be the Late Emperor’s biological son, that Consort Shu left him a mission to destroy Great Rui, and that he manipulated Prince Jing against Emperor Mingze. The dangerous knowledge overwhelms Changshun, who collapses in fear 240.
• Unveils a portrait at the emperor’s command during the gathering of officials and consorts defending Yingcheng after her identity is exposed. The portrait depicts her birth mother, a woman closely resembling Consort Wan 276.

Travels Outside the Capital

• Searches a room for hidden weapons while listening to Yingcheng investigate Bai Erfu’s past. Her enthusiastic admiration for the woman’s retaliation against an orthodox sect leaves him trembling and profoundly alarmed 313.
• Is singled out as the oldest member of the party when Ying Sinan fabricates a story about a gravely ill elder whose dying wish is to visit Yuntong Mountain. Although Changshun is healthy, the performance and a discreet bribe allow the group to bypass a queue of at least six hours 326.

The Beiming Campaign and Palace Responsibilities

• Discusses the emperor’s planned personal campaign with him while Yingcheng listens outside. After she leaves to prepare to accompany her father, Changshun asks whether they should follow her; the emperor hesitates because an explanation could expose what he has concealed 392.
• Understands the emperor’s meaningful glance when General Kan’s memorial is deliberately knocked to the floor, picks it up, and reads aloud about the Beiming War to introduce the subject indirectly 399.
• Plays along with the emperor’s staged indignation and threat of twenty strokes. Yingcheng’s plea reduces the announced punishment to ten, and Changshun’s convincing cries after being taken away frighten her 399.
• Relays Chancellor Tan’s urgent request for an audience to Crown Prince Jiang Tinghuai while the emperor is away leading the army 423.
• Anxiously reports that Yingcheng has fled with Consort Wan and Jinshu, with her highly skilled protectors moving too quickly for most palace personnel to follow 428.
• Later reads the imperial decree announcing rewards to Kan Ruifeng and the military generals. The same rewards scene reveals Yingcheng’s change from Princess Mingxi to Princess Mingcheng 545.

Relationships

• Emperor Mingze / Jiang Yanchuan — Longtime master who deeply trusts him. Changshun understands his mannerisms, carries out his instructions, and becomes aware that they both hear Yingcheng’s thoughts 3 7 9. Their coordination extends to covert surveillance, concealed intelligence sources, and staged performances intended to manage Yingcheng’s reactions, including the introduction of the Beiming campaign 113 174 216 399.
• Jiang Yingcheng — Affectionate charge who calls him “Uncle.” Her concern for his predicted death inspires his protective devotion, though her schemes regularly leave him speechless 3 7 27 31 47. He remains firm about her schooling and guards information she tries to coax from him. She again stands up for him when the emperor threatens punishment over General Kan’s memorial 58 104 135 157 399.
• Consort Lan / Cheng Yunmeng — His authority offers her protection from hostile palace servants. He also supports the account giving her son credit for defeating the assassin 15 30 34. He protects the confidentiality of her discussion with the emperor by removing attendants unaware of Yingcheng’s ability 53.
• Jiang Xingran — Advocates for better treatment of the Seventh Prince and helps preserve the credit assigned to him after the assassin’s capture 9 34.
• Noble Consort Qing — Explains Miaoxi’s deception to her and serves as a discreet channel through which the emperor can learn about her confrontation with Noble Consort Rou 16 20.
• Lu Yao — Cooperates with him after the assassin’s capture and escorts Yingcheng alongside him during the investigation into Duke Wang’s framing 34 35. He later passes intelligence involving Prince Jing’s agents into an investigation assigned to Lu Yao 174.
• Yuan Liangping — Recognizes his usefulness as a listener and recommends him for a teaching-assistant post with a covert reporting duty 24 48.
• Fang Siwan / Consort Fang — Receives Yingcheng into his care on the emperor’s orders and benefits from his attention to her household’s treatment. Changshun later ensures that she can discuss Yingcheng’s ability with the emperor without uninformed servants present 11 53.
• Liaochen / Zhou Qichuan — Consults him about Yu Xingmian and the Ink Rain Association. Liaochen’s abrupt departure with Yingcheng leaves Changshun alarmed and responsible for explaining their disappearance 158.
• Crown Prince Jiang Tinghuai — Relays urgent palace business and alarming news about Yingcheng’s escape to him during Emperor Mingze’s absence 423 428.
• Qiu Ji — Informs the Jianggu ruler of Yingcheng’s exceptional standing with the emperor, encouraging Qiu Ji’s subsequent effort to gain favor through generosity toward her 216.
• Ying Sinan — Traveling associate who unwillingly casts Changshun as a dying relative to secure preferential admission to Yuntong Mountain 326.

Notable Quotes

“Your Highness, watch your step.” 3

“This is the assassin who attacked His Majesty last month! Whoever captures him will be richly rewarded!” 32

“This servant’s bones are still plenty sturdy. Carrying your little bit of weight is easy.” 27

“How about this? Go fetch me three feet of white silk first.” 158

“She is our sovereign's most beloved Little Princess—” 216

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