In the days following the purification ritual, Min Na-eun lay in a coma for seven days. Upon regaining consciousness, the first thing the young boy did was cry out for his mother, weeping incessantly until his eyes were swollen. This mingled with moans of pain, a deep ache that permeated his small body, now covered in wounds. His back and knees bore the welts of lashes, his feet were raw and peeling from the long journey, and most significantly, the core of his being throbbed with a dull ache. The lower part of his small frame was covered with layers of thin cloth. He dared not even glance down at the wound, knowing only that something had been severed.
Thankfully, someone was tending to those wounds, not out of concern or tenderness, but so that the boy would heal quickly and could undergo the etiquette training within the imperial palace before serving his masters or various departments. This was what his caretaker told him.
"When will you finally recover? I have no time to waste looking after a child like you," this person grumbled every time, yet they still brought him thin porridge to drink twice a day. They also applied a medicated balm to the various wounds across his body. With rest and care, Min Na-eun's condition improved greatly.
"Thank you, Esteemed One," the young boy supported himself up and lifted the bland porridge to his lips, letting the caretaker's complaints drift past him as the balm was applied to his back.
"The wounds on your back have improved. I reckon it won't be long before you can enter the palace for training with the other young eunuchs."
From his inquiries, the other young Goguryeo boys who had undergone the ritual had either survived, like Min Na-eun, and were also recuperating, or had succumbed to their wounds and passed away. The young boy felt incredibly fortunate to have survived this far. He had passed the first hurdle. All that remained was to enter the palace, become a servant, and obey his superiors. After that, the young boy would search for his mother. This was what Min Na-eun resolved.
"What is it? If you don't want to drink the porridge, just pour it away. But don't expect me to wait on you again tomorrow."
"No, Esteemed One. The porridge is very delicious. I trouble Da-ge (Elder Brother)," the young boy finished speaking and slurped loudly.
"Who is your elder brother?! I have no younger sibling. Do not call me Da-ge." Despite the sharp reprimand, the young boy still smiled. Min Na-eun was the only son of the Min family, without brothers or sisters. He had always longed for siblings.
"Then how should I address you?"
"Huang Se."
"Understood, Brother Huang Se."
"Have you finished the porridge? I need to check the wound from the purification."
"Finished, Esteemed One," the young boy placed the empty bowl beside him, lay down, and willingly allowed the examination.
Apart from his mother and the physician who had completely removed his golden cluster, only Huang Se had seen his private parts. At first, he was shy, but now he was growing accustomed to it. Moreover, he felt a sense of warmth towards Huang Se. Throughout the many days, Huang Se had been his caretaker, so the young boy was obedient and yielding. He could sense a hint of concern beneath the gruff tone.
Huang Se was a taijian (an unranked eunuch), not yet officially appointed and without affiliation, thus he had been assigned to care for Na-eun. Huang Se was fifteen years old and had been sold into the palace as a eunuch by his impoverished father at the beginning of the year. He was thin and half a head taller than Na-eun, with well-proportioned features that were pleasing to the eye. Had it not been for his sun-darkened skin, Huang Se could be considered a handsome young boy.
The white cloth was unfolded, revealing the exposed lower half. Since the day of the purification, Na-eun had not worn trousers again, as it was necessary to tend to the wound at his core. It would have been inconvenient to constantly put them on and take them off, and leaving the wound open would promote faster healing.
"You are truly fortunate," Huang Se suddenly said as he dabbed medicine on Na-eun's midsection.
"What is it?"
"That you did not undergo a complete purification. Some eunuchs have everything removed, not even a stump left like yours. That is far more agonizing. After the procedure, they have to insert rice grains into the urethra to prevent urination for three days. I hear it is excruciatingly painful."
Just hearing this sent a shiver down the young boy's spine.
"And what kind of purification did Brother Huang Se undergo?"
"The same as you, leaving the shaft for urination. But I was not as fortunate as you. The one who performed my purification was Physician Chen. His skill was not as refined as Master Yuan's." Huang Se said, turning the small stump the physician had left this way and that. "If you apply the medicine diligently, you might not have any scars left."
But Min Na-eun did not care whether a scar remained there or not. The only thing he cared about was entering the palace quickly, serving his superiors, and then searching for his mother. He wondered how she was faring.
"It is done. I reckon in two or three days, I will report to Eunuch Liu that you have recovered and are ready to prepare for the etiquette training in the imperial palace."
"Yes, Esteemed One. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."