The Mute Bodyguard Ran Away with a Baby

Shen Que is a mute servant who has served Xie Shiguan, the Prince of Yan, for over thirteen years. Having been purchased as a child slave, Shen Que is defined by his silence, his loyalty, and a hidden physical secret that he guards with his life. His only companions in the Prince's residence are Shen Luo, his senior brother, and Ling Er, a maid who treats him with genuine kindness. Shen Que harbors unspoken romantic feelings for the Prince but suppresses them, believing such desires are presumptuous and dangerous. Ling Er, however, develops feelings for him and attempts to confess by giving him a sachet, but Shen Que rejects her, citing his own defects and inability to provide a normal life.

The core conflict erupts when Ling Er is found dead in the Prince's hall, stabbed with a silver hairpin. The Prince, visibly enraged, accuses Shen Que of an inappropriate relationship with the maid, despite Shen Que's protests of innocence. The Prince reveals that he knew Ling Er was a spy and had been testing Shen Que's loyalty all along. Enraged by what he perceives as betrayal, the Prince orders Shen Que's execution, instructing Shen Luo to make it look like the work of the rival Miao family. Shen Luo, torn between his duty and his brotherhood, knocks Shen Que unconscious and attempts to smuggle him out of the capital to safety.

However, the Prince anticipates this move and intercepts them. Shen Que is brought back before the Prince, who subjects him to fifty lashes with a leather whip as punishment for his perceived disloyalty and poor judgment. Shen Xiangzhi, the Prince's steward, administers the beating to spare the Prince the effort, but the punishment leaves Shen Que critically injured and bedridden for days. During his recovery, Shen Luo visits him, revealing that he knocked Shen Que out to save his life from the initial assassination attempt, and expressing his own fear that the Prince's wrath may not be over.

A key turning point occurs when Shen Que discovers that someone has been spying on him. He catches a figure on his roof and later confronts an intruder named Lin Xie in his quarters. Lin Xie reveals that he witnessed Shen Que bathing and knows his secret: Shen Que is intersex, neither fully male nor female. Lin Xie uses this knowledge to blackmail Shen Que, assaulting him and threatening to expose his condition to the Prince. Shen Que is left terrified, not merely for his safety, but for the Prince's reaction, fearing that his master will view him as a monster.

Meanwhile, the political landscape shifts as the Prince deals with court intrigues involving the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. The Prince's temper remains volatile, and he begins to show unusual interest in Shen Que's well-being, summoning him to assist with his bath and engaging in ambiguous conversations. Shen Que, still recovering from his injuries and the trauma of Lin Xie's assault, remains trapped in a web of fear and devotion. The story concludes with Shen Luo being ordered to depart for Western Sichuan to quell a rebellion, a mission that may serve as further punishment or a test from the Prince, leaving Shen Que alone and vulnerable to his blackmailer.