Consort Li's death had been a kind of release for Li Qing.
He suspected that Wei Yang might have had something to do with it.
After all, Consort Li had taken her own life just as Wei Yang had broke through to the level of a third-tier fighter. The timing was strange. Li Qing didn't believe Consort Li was the type to commit suicide.
But in the end, it didn't matter.
They were all just passing through this life.
Whatever secrets Consort Li had held, whatever strange fortune Wei Yang had gained from the White Lotus Sect, whatever methods he had used; they would all fade into the dust of history.
Six months later, rumors that Emperor Taikang had fully recovered from his injuries were spreading fast. Li Qing stopped visiting the Pear Garden to watch the palace maids rehearse songs and dances. Instead, he spent his days in the Cold Palace, playing chess and cultivating his strength.
Another six months passed. After years of peace, war came to the Great Qian Empire. Cavalry from the northern grassland Khanate invaded, storming twelve border cities and capturing countless Qian civilians.
The Empress Dowager dispatched the army to respond, but suffered defeat. Civil officials harshly criticized her. One even petitioned Emperor Taikang to return to state affairs.
That official was promptly investigated by the Embroidered Guards, and his family was stripped of everything.
But the Empress Dowager's attempts to suppress dissent didn't stabilize the imperial court. Instead, they sparked even greater resistance from the officials.
At every morning audience, there were always memorials urging the Emperor to take back control. Some upright officials gave their lives in protest, dying like stone pillars in the Hall of Golden Glory.
Eventually, the Empress Dowager could no longer rely on force through the Embroidered Guards. She simply let the petitions pile up and ignored them.
In the twenty-ninth year of Taikang's reign, the cavalry from the Khanate invaded the northern border once again. Suzhou fell. The Empress Dowager failed to respond effectively and considered negotiating peace.
But the Crown Prince, Prince Wu, who had just turned twenty, volunteered to lead the army.
The entire court, civil and military alike, supported him. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to agree. Prince Wu took command of a hundred thousand troops and marched to reclaim Suzhou.
On the day he left, Consort Qi stood by the gates of the Cold Palace, watching his departure through tears.
Wei Yang stood by her side and gently comforted her. "Don't worry, Your Grace. His Highness is protected by Wei Nu, a peerless expert. No matter what happens on the battlefield, his life is not in danger. And if he returns victorious, Your Grace will be free to leave the Cold Palace."
…..
Time slipped by.
The thirtieth year of Taikang's reign.
The Cold Palace.
"By order of His Majesty: Consort Chu has lost her virtue and is hereby demoted to Ronghua, fourth rank. She is to be confined to the Cold Palace."
With the decree delivered, an old acquaintance of Li Qing's, Consort Chu, was sent into exile once again.
This was her third time in the Cold Palace.
Back in the day, Consort Chu had kicked Li Qing square in the backside, leaving her bedridden for a month. Li Qing hadn't forgotten.
More than twenty years had passed. Consort Chu was now a woman in her forties, no longer the stunning beauty she once was, and the powerful aura she used to carry was gone too.
"Your Majesty, I've been wronged! I didn't curse Consort Zhong, I swear I didn't!" she cried, wailing through snot and tears. Even on her third trip into exile, she fought it with everything she had.
In the duty room nearby.
"So, Little Li," Zhang Yong said with a sharp glint in his eye, "judging by how things are going, looks like the Empress Dowager won't be able to hold the Emperor back much longer. It won't be long before His Majesty takes back the reins of power. Consort Chu? She's not getting out of here again. Should we starve her for a few days first?"
Eunuchs held grudges. And they liked helping other eunuchs hold theirs too.
A eunuch's revenge could wait a lifetime.
Li Qing hadn't forgotten that kick. Zhang Yong hadn't either.
Zhang Bai chimed in, "It's been a year since Prince Wu left for Suzhou. He took a few losses early on due to inexperience, but lately the reports say he's been fighting better and better. Give it another year or two, he might just break the Khanate cavalry for good. If he comes back victorious, the Emperor could finally have someone reliable on his side. At that point, the Empress Dowager won't be able to hide behind the curtain any longer—"
"No politics. Watch your mouth," Li Qing cut him off coldly.
In the end, he'd grown into someone not unlike Wang Li.
"Just give her some cold leftovers. Starving her for a few days won't change much anyway," he added.
Lately, Emperor Taikang had been making moves, no longer the puppet he used to be. It was as if he'd rediscovered that same fire he once had when fighting the Grand Empress Dowager for power. Now he was clashing head-on with the current Empress Dowager.
After all these years, the Cold Palace was once again filling up.
But in Li Qing's eyes, without Prince Wu's return, Emperor Taikang still didn't stand a real chance.
At court, the head of the Lu clan served as Grand Chancellor.
The Chancellor had three sons. One commanded the Imperial Guards, overseeing palace security. Another led the Embroidered Guards, keeping watch over all officials. The third served as Right Vice Minister of War, helping manage military affairs.
Chancellor Lu was a staunch supporter of the Empress Dowager. As long as he remained in power, Emperor Taikang would struggle to make any real progress.
The Lu clan also had a daughter, Noble Consort Lu, who helped the Empress Dowager maintain control over the inner palace. She had even raised Prince Wu from a young age.
Although Prince Wu held more affection for his birth mother, Consort Qi, he hadn't forgotten the debt he owed to Noble Consort Lu for raising him.
The Lu clan traced its roots back to the maternal family of the Grand Empress Dowager. Their power ran deep, like an old tree with unshakable roots.
Around midday, meal delivery time.
Li Qing brought wine and a good spread of meat to Ding-Jia Wing.
"Greetings to Her Grace, Consort Min."
"Oh, it's Little Li? Come in," came a languid voice from within.
Inside, Consort Min was draped casually by the side of her bed, half-dressed, working lazily on an embroidery.
There was something seductive about her relaxed posture.
The palace women in the Cold Palace rarely stood on ceremony with eunuchs. Sometimes they'd bare their chest or let their clothes fall open. It wasn't unusual.
Consort Min was the same dancer Li Qing had seen at the Pear Garden three years ago. Caught up in a power struggle, she'd ended up banished to the Cold Palace by the Empress Dowager.
That night…
Li Qing finished cultivating the Seven Forms of Flowing Water, yet sleep wouldn't come.
The technique had three stages, and he had already opened all eight meridians, reaching the third stage. But that wasn't what kept him awake.
What kept flashing through his mind was the image of Consort Min at noon, half-dressed, lounging against her bed.
He was a eunuch, utterly useless in that regard, so why did he keep thinking about things he shouldn't?
As he lay there sleepless, he heard a faint sound from the neighboring bed. A shadow slipped out of the room quietly.
It was Wei Yang.
What's that kid sneaking off to do in the middle of the night? Li Qing couldn't help but wonder.
Wei Yang had broken through six main meridians a year ago, officially becoming a second-tier martial artist. At the time, he was only twenty-three.
A second-tier fighter at twenty-three had caught the attention of the Martial Supervision Bureau. They'd invited him to join, but Wei Yang had declined. Instead, he had chosen to stay in the Cold Palace, continuing to serve Consort Qi.
It wasn't that he didn't want to leave the Cold Palace. He just didn't want to rely on himself alone to do it.
Ever since Noble Consort Li died, Wei Yang's cultivation speed had skyrocketed. Li Qing no longer knew how many meridians he'd opened. One thing was different, though. Probably because of his techniques, Wei Yang was aging quickly.
He was only twenty-four, but already looked thirty-five.
Don't tell me the kid's out practicing some demonic technique, Li Qing thought to himself.
But he resisted the urge to follow. Instead, he stayed in bed pretending to sleep, keeping his breathing steady.
About half an hour later, Wei Yang slipped back into the room and into bed, falling into a deep sleep as if he'd never left.
Li Qing let it go and eventually drifted off himself.
The next morning, while the eunuch Gong Yue was helping the concubines dispose of their chamber pots, he suddenly discovered that Consort Chu, the same one who'd been thrown into the Cold Palace just the day before, had hanged herself during the night.
The news made Li Qing freeze. He immediately joined Gong Yue to carry her body to the Purification Room.
Unless a concubine had powerful connections, deaths in the Cold Palace rarely sparked any kind of investigation.
The previous head eunuch of the Cold Palace, Steward Gu, had died of old age. His adopted son, Little Steward Gu, now ran things.
Little Gu didn't question Consort Chu's death.
And the palace didn't stir, not even a ripple.
No one else knew what really happened. But Li Qing did.
Consort Chu hadn't killed herself. She was murdered. By Wei Yang.
Truth be told, Li Qing kind of liked the kid for it.
He'd done something Li Qing had never dared to do.
…..
Another two years passed. Li Qing was now forty-three, and Zhang Yong had just turned fifty.
In the palace, eunuchs could apply to leave once they reached fifty. Still, most chose to stay.
One day...
"Little Li, my health's still holding up, and I could easily last another five years here," said Zhang Yong. "But I've decided to leave the palace. I want to help look after Wang Tou's braised meat shop."
It had been seven years since Wang Li's death. The shop business had steadily declined. Of the original seven locations, only one remained. Zhang Yong figured if he left the palace, he could start pulling strings and help it survive.
Because of the failing business, Li Qing hadn't received any profits from the shop in the past two years. Still, letters from Wang Li's son never stopped coming.
"No problem," Li Qing said with a nod. "Just stay safe out there. I'd rather not hear one day that you suddenly dropped dead."
Zhang Yong burst out laughing, then sighed. "It's a shame, though. There's one big grudge I still haven't settled. Leaving now… it doesn't sit right with me. If I could just wait another two years, maybe I'd get my shot."
That grudge, over twenty years of scrubbing chamber pots, and twelve lashes from Noble Consort Lu's bloodied whip, still burned in his heart.
"Don't worry," said Li Qing, patting Zhang Yong's shoulder. "Someone will settle that score for you."
At those words, Wei Yang who was standing nearby gave a quiet, knowing smile.