The matter of Emperor Taikang being placed under house arrest in the Great Sorrow Hall was no secret. Everyone knew about it.
There were tens of thousands of eunuchs in the palace. Who among them didn't know a bit about the imperial family's private affairs? As long as you didn't go around shouting that the Empress Dowager had confined Emperor Taikang, nothing would happen to you.
As for that story about Commander Ke leading troops to rescue the emperor? Completely made up. Couldn't be more fake.
The Empress Dowager had taken full control of the court with the support of the Lu clan. She ran everything with airtight precision.
Trying to help Emperor Taikang from the outside was nearly impossible.
Even if there was a chance, Li Qing wouldn't be the one to deliver the message. The emperor had been suppressed by the Grand Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager, and now the Empress Dowager for nineteen years straight. He was basically the present-day version of Liu Chan. The kind you just can't prop up, no matter how hard you try.
"She's a real piece of work," Li Qing muttered. "I'm not bringing her food anymore."
He found Zhang Bai and struck a deal: in exchange for taking over his chamber pot duty for one of the concubines, Zhang Bai would bring the meals instead.
With that, Li Qing finally got some peace and quiet.
Half a year later, Wang Li sent word from outside the palace. His braised offal business was booming. Everything was going smoothly. He even sent Li Qing a banknote worth a hundred taels of silver as a share of the profits, along with a big batch of braised delicacies for the eunuchs still stuck in the Cold Palace.
"I heard Wang's doing great out there. I'm seriously jealous," Zhang Yong said as he slurped up some braised intestines, full of praise. "How can this stuff taste so good?"
"So good!" shouted three young eunuchs, their hands overflowing with food.
Li Qing gnawed on a braised duck head, the flavor bringing back memories.
"Wang said he adopted a son. Apparently, the kid's really filial. Looks like he's got someone to carry on his legacy," Zhang Bai said with a sigh.
"Master Li, I heard the braised offal idea was yours. How'd you come up with that?" asked Wei Yang, a thirteen-year-old eunuch. "And also, Master Li, if you ever get the chance, could you teach me some martial arts…"
Wei Yang had been assigned to fill Wang Li's old spot, but he clearly wasn't the quiet type. He used to serve a seventh-rank chief eunuch and had a bright future ahead.... until he got caught sneaking a look at the chief's martial arts manual. He was nearly beaten to death, then banished to the Cold Palace.
When Wei Yang had been first thrown into the Cold Palace, he had been bedridden for three full months.
"My internal techniques isn't something I share. But if you can find one on your own, I'll teach you," Li Qing replied casually.
Another six months passed. During that time, Li Qing began a deep study of the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra. Using profits from Wang Li's braised food shop, he spent a hefty sum of silver to pave the way, consulting several martial arts-trained eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department to help decipher the manual's more obscure passages.
After thorough analysis and multiple confirmations, it became clear that the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra was a legitimate and harmless cultivation technique. And it was suitable for practice.
So, Li Qing began training in it.
With time, his aptitude and physique gradually reached the level of a normal person. Within five days, he could condense a wisp of water-based internal energy.
His cultivation speed tripled.
The manual wasn't a miracle cure. It didn't offer much improvement to those already gifted in martial arts. It seemed specifically designed for those with weak or mediocre aptitude.
Since then, Li Qing was no longer seen near the three wing next to the Dingyou Iron Wing.
The discovery of the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra stirred hope in him. One day, he thought, he might awaken a truly exceptional physique. With that, his training would progress by leaps and bounds.
"That woman mentioned another method; the Twelve Golden Needles Meridian Technique. Said it could improve bone structure too. But getting involved with her is way too risky… forget it."
"As long as I live long enough, there's no need to fight or compete. One day, the right technique might just land in my lap."
...
Autumn, Year 22 of Emperor Taikang's reign.
The 13th day of the 9th lunar month.
After years of silence, the Cold Palace finally received a new arrival.
"By order of His Majesty, Concubine Ke has been stripped of her title for disloyalty and is to be sent to the Cold Palace immediately."
At the palace gates, a girl of just fourteen, already a martial artist, was shoved inside by a blue-robed eunuch.
"Welcome, Concubine Ke," Wei Yang said quickly, stepping in to steady her.
She was now his responsibility.
Back in the duty room, Li Qing was reading another letter from Wang Li. He paid no attention to the arrival of the new concubine.
Three years passed. Wang Li's braised food business kept growing, eventually expanding to five branch locations. Each year, Li Qing received a cut of the profits; three hundred taels of silver. Though still living in the palace, Li Qing now owned a property in the capital.
But Wang Li's health had been steadily declining. He hoped that once Li Qing and the others were old enough, they could apply to leave the palace and help manage the shop.
While many eunuchs in the palace could apply for release under certain circumstances, that didn't apply to those from the Cold Palace.
Wang Li sent a letter every two weeks, often updating Li Qing on the outside world. Through those letters, Li Qing stayed informed about major events.
One piece of news in this most recent letter unsettled him deeply.
The commander of the Left Battalion of the Imperial Guard, Ke Daoling, had been jointly arrested by the Embroidered Guards and the Eastern Depot. It was discovered that Ke Daoling was one of the top ten Protectors of the White Lotus Sect. His entire family was seized, and he was sentenced to be executed in the fall.
The White Lotus Sect?
That woman really was trying to set me up!
Ke Daoling was the very person Consort Li had named three years ago as the one to deliver a message.
Not only that, but she had also claimed she'd give him the so-called Twelve Golden Needles Meridian Technique to enhance his physique.
There was no need to guess anymore. Consort Li was clearly part of the White Lotus Sect; probably someone high up in the hierarchy.
A consort of the emperor, yet a member of a rebellious cult. No wonder she had ended up locked away in the Iron Wing section of the Cold Palace.
The White Lotus Sect... an organization bent on rebellion.
Looking back now, her attempt to get Li Qing to deliver a message supposedly "to rally to Emperor Taikang's aid" had been a front. The real purpose had been to leak her own situation in the Cold Palace to someone outside.
Good thing I held out.
Good thing I wasn't tempted.
No matter the plot, time always exposes the cracks. I don't need to dig. The truth always comes to light sooner or later.
And I've got all the time in the world to wait for that day.
Li Qing stretched his limbs. It had been three years since he last saw Consort Li. She probably assumed he was already dead.
Thanks to the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra, Li Qing had already opened three of the body's primary meridians. In another five years, he expected to reach six and officially step into the second tier of martial cultivation.
Third-tier strength was worth little in the palace. But second-tier? That was the start of real influence.
I may have missed out on natural talent in this life, but making it to first tier is just a matter of time.
"Little Li, another letter from Wang?"
Just then, Zhang Yong walked in from outside.
"Come on, read it to me."
Zhang Yong only recognized a handful of letters, so reading was a challenge for him.
After Li Qing read the letter aloud, Zhang Yong cried out in surprise: "Ke Daoling was with the White Lotus Sect? And that new concubine who was just thrown into the Cold Palace, she's named Ke too! And the reason they gave was 'disloyalty'? Don't tell me they're related… both part of the White Lotus Sect?"
Li Qing paused. Disloyalty…
That was a serious charge. A concubine sent to the Cold Palace for "disloyalty" was as good as dead. It wouldn't be long before she was quietly given a white silk scarf or a cup of poison.
"Very possible," Li Qing said gravely. "That new concubine is under Wei Yang's watch. Give him a warning, quietly. Tell him not to treat her any differently. If something happens, no one will be able to protect him."
"That might be tough," Zhang Yong said, shaking his head. "Wei Yang's sharp. He's been aiming for martial training for a while now, and the moment that martial-arts-trained Concubine Ke arrived, he's been sticking to her like glue, bowing and scraping.
"Take Consort Qi, for example. She used to favor you the most. But Wei Yang took the initiative to take over her chamber pot duty, and when the buckets came back, he even scrubbed them clean himself. That kid's got his eyes set far beyond the Cold Palace.
"Tell me this. When was the last time Consort Qi even summoned you to serve her directly?"
Li Qing chuckled lightly. "Let him be. We all know how things work around here. In this whole palace, aside from the Martial Supervision Bureau and the Martial Arts Pavilion, our Cold Palace is actually the most peaceful place. Remember those two eunuchs who got transferred out back in the day. What were their names…"
He thought for a moment, but couldn't remember. They'd been dead for ages anyway.
Some names had simply faded from memory. Faces too.
Life is long. You gain some, you let some go.
Falling out of favor with Consort Qi was exactly what Li Qing had wanted. Otherwise, he never would have handed her duties over to Wei Yang in the first place.
If Wei Yang ever managed to leave the Cold Palace with Consort Qi and rise through the ranks, he'd owe Li Qing a big one.
As long as she stayed alive, Consort Qi would almost certainly be released someday, once Emperor Taikang outlasted the Empress Dowager.
Half a month later, a cup of poisoned wine was quietly delivered to the Cold Palace.
Concubine Ke drank it and died. Official word was that she had hanged herself.
That night...
"Master Li, what does 'Gui corresponds to water' mean?" Wei Yang's quiet voice came from the darkness.
Li Qing had just finished practicing the Seven Forms of Flowing Water. He paused for a moment, then explained:
"Gui refers to what's called heavenly gui. Basically, it symbolizes a woman's menstrual blood and a man's kidney essence. So gui stands for a person's vital essence.
"Gui is originally associated with water, meaning a person's vital essence belongs to the water element in the Five Elements, and specifically to yin water."
"What about Xing is wood shaped like a gui tablet?" Wei Yang asked again.
"That part…" Li Qing began another explanation.
He sounded calm, but inside, his thoughts were anything but.
'Gui corresponds to water' and 'Xing is wood shaped like a gui tablet'—those were both phrases from the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra.
Which meant… Wei Yang had gotten his hands on the manual.
Li Qing had received his copy from Consort Li of the White Lotus Sect.
Wei Yang hadn't even reached third-tier strength yet. There was no way he could have gotten it from her.
So then, who gave it to him?
The answer was obvious.