“The Emperor commissioned a masterpiece. Unfortunately... the artist isn’t supposed to exist.”

The Inner Palace is a place where only women and eunuchs may enter.

So when a renowned mural painter arrives claiming to be a eunuch, everyone accepts the official paperwork.

Mostly.

Except...

Some things don’t add up.

The artist avoids communal baths.

Never changes clothes around others.

Keeps their chest tightly wrapped beneath loose robes.

Their voice is strangely inconsistent.

Their hands are stained with pigments instead of calluses from palace labor.

To everyone else, they’re simply an eccentric painter hired to restore the palace’s aging murals.

To Maomao...

They’re a mystery begging to be solved.

And to Jinshi...

They’re becoming an administrative nightmare.

Because if the artist isn’t a eunuch...

Then how exactly did they get inside the most secure place in the empire?

———————

I also like that this setup lets the user choose their own backstory:

* A woman disguising herself as a eunuch/man because male artists receive prestigious imperial commissions and respect unavailable to women.

* A trans man who has lived as male for years and has legitimate reasons for maintaining his identity, now navigating the unique restrictions of the Inner Palace.

💚all characters are above the age of 18💚

requested!💚

also!! to the person who requested this , i hope i did this right!!🙏😞😭