"What do you mean, 'again'?"
Zhang Gui raised an eyebrow. He caught the faint scent of blood in the courtyard, and his deep eyes glanced at the medicinal herb garden, which seemed to have grown taller and had been recently tended.
Just a moment ago, someone died.
This was the smell of human blood.
"It's nothing."
"Just a little eunuch. He insisted I'd stolen something of his and threw a couple of punches at me, but then he just up and died."
Seeing that it was indeed Zhang Gui, Su Chen replied.
He was telling the truth.
'Hadn't Eunuch Wuchen come over, thrown two punches, and then died as the poison entered his lungs?'
Hearing it was just an ordinary eunuch, Zhang Gui paid it no mind. He was a mass murderer, his hands stained with the blood of thousands. He never would have imagined that this so-called "little eunuch" was Eunuch Wuchen, a man of his own rank—a Vice Chief Steward and a Peak Third-Grade expert.
'Looks like another eunuch will be getting a promotion in the Imperial Palace.'
"Emperor Jianwu summoned all five Chief Stewards. What did you discuss?"
Su Chen asked.
"The Martial Arts List. It's happening."
"And I've taken on the assignment."
Zhang Gui's reply was concise.
He harbored a fanatical hatred for the Great Liang. Even with the Old Emperor dead, he still craved power. He wanted to become the Purple-robed First Supervisor, to stir up chaos across the land and bring ruin to the Great Liang Dynasty.
Seeing the coldness lurking in the depths of Zhang Gui's eyes, Su Chen's heart pounded with unease. He had a sinking feeling that Zhang Gui's departure from the Imperial Palace to the Jianghu would be the prelude to widespread chaos.
'With such a golden opportunity, if he didn't seize assets and annihilate entire clans, forcing the Major Sects of the Martial World into bitter opposition against the Court, he'd be letting down the very chance Emperor Jianwu had given him.'
"Can't you just... not go?"
The answer came in the silence: the unwavering resolve in Zhang Gui's eyes.
"I will write to you."
As if to prevent Su Chen from saying more, Zhang Gui turned to leave, his red robes blazing like fire.
As Zhang Gui was about to depart and Xu Xiaohan came trotting up, Su Chen remembered something. He raised his gaze toward Jinluan Hall and suddenly called out.
"Is the Old Emperor Tianwu really dead?"
Zhang Gui's figure seemed to freeze for an instant before he quickly disappeared into the distance.
'Just as I thought.'
Su Chen's heart sank.
The terrible suspicion in his mind grew stronger.
'According to rumor, one of the two Princes who wore the White Dragon Robe and were supposedly cut down by the Killing Martial Guards six months ago had actually survived. If that was possible, could the Old Emperor Tianwu, whose body was never found, still be alive?'
'This was a world of Demon Fiends and countless Arcane Techniques. If a method for swapping hearts existed, then faking one's death to escape was surely not impossible.'
Zhang Gui definitely knew many secrets.
Unfortunately, he was unwilling to speak.
"Master Su, what did you mean by that question just now...?"
Xu Xiaohan asked, his voice trembling.
'The Old Emperor Tianwu isn't dead?'
"Just a theory. Don't take it seriously."
Su Chen laughed it off, deflecting the question.
...
Time flew by, and in a blink, a year had passed.
The twenty-fifth year of Tianwu.
No!
Or rather.
January of the first year of Jianwu.
The Fifth Prince, now Emperor Jianwu, had been a true legitimate heir during the Old Emperor Tianwu's era. He had received the White Dragon Robe and the Tianwu Tower's acknowledgment, making him the de facto Crown Prince.
But the Old Emperor, in his absurdity, had bestowed three White Dragon Prince Robes at once.
In January of the first year of his reign, Emperor Jianwu entered the Tianwu Tower alone. After he obtained the foundational power accumulated by successive dynasties and received the acknowledgment of numerous First-Grade Experts within, the Imperial Decree announcing his ascension to the Dragon Throne was immediately proclaimed throughout the Great Liang.
The entire nation celebrated!
In that same month, the reign title was officially changed to the Jianwu Period.
Emperor Jianwu governed with great diligence, selecting capable ministers, winning over his generals, and solidifying his standing with the nobility. For a time, the New Dynasty took on a fresh air, and it truly seemed as though the Great Liang was on the verge of a revival.
The once-mad Noble Consort Liang became the Empress Dowager Liang. The eunuchs and many of the Palace Maids who had served in the Cold Palace were all put to death.
Many of the other eunuchs were also affected.
A new batch of Eunuch Stewards was promoted in the Imperial Palace, and a new group of eunuchs was brought in.
None of this, however, disturbed Su Chen's peace.
"Master Su, you presented His Majesty with the brilliant plan for the Martial Arts List, and all he gave you was the powerless, empty title of Red Robe Chief Steward! That's just..."
Xu Xiaohan was twenty years old now.
He was in the Library Pavilion, seething with indignation on Su Chen's behalf.
This was a world of cultivators.
The youthful-faced, white-haired Purple-robed First Supervisor had personally tried and failed to set Su Chen on the Path of Cultivation. Because of this, even Emperor Jianwu had no intention of appointing him to any significant position.
This suited Su Chen just fine.
In the Library Pavilion, after nearly a year of care, the first-floor courtyard was once again filled with exotic flowers and strange herbs. Their enchanting fragrance, thick with a potent toxicity, permeated the entire building.
Su Chen, having finished his lunch, glanced at the chattering Xu Xiaohan and gave him a reminder.
"It's time for you to go."
It was a well-intentioned warning. If he stayed any longer, Xu Xiaohan, who had just reached the Fourth Grade, would begin to show signs of poisoning. Then Su Chen would have to go to the trouble of saving him with an antidote, which was too much of a hassle.
After Xu Xiaohan left.
Su Chen unfolded the letter in his hand. It was from Zhang Gui, the Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot.
Zhang Gui had said he would write, and true to his word, two letters arrived every month, rain or shine.
In just one year, the Martial Arts List, created to catalog the First-Grade Experts of the Jianghu, had been successfully established and was proving quite effective. It had already managed to turn the Three Great Sects of the Martial World against one another.
At the same time, as Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot, Zhang Gui had traveled throughout the Nine Commanderies, ostensibly to gather rare treasures, ancient texts, and Secret Medicines for Emperor Jianwu. Along the way, he had seized no small number of estates and annihilated entire clans. There were even whispers that he was on the verge of replacing the Upper Rank Purple-robed First Supervisor and gaining the title of "Nine Thousand Years."
'Zhang Gui has reached the Second Grade!'
'Just last night, he was formally appointed Chief Steward of the Imperial Palace! He now commands the Martial Arts Bureau, which means his Eastern Depot will have a ceaseless supply of fresh blood.'
'A Second-Grade Expert at only twenty-five! Emperor Jianwu will value him even more now.'
'More than just value him.'
'He'll fear him, too!'
'But Emperor Jianwu won't move against Zhang Gui until he's dealt with the hidden threats left behind by the Old Emperor and the Deposed Emperor. After all, Zhang Gui is a knife of the emperor's own making...'
Su Chen glanced at the letter's contents and casually tossed it into the bamboo basket at his feet. The basket was already crammed with dozens of such letters.
Of the dozens of letters, Su Chen hadn't replied to a single one, mainly because he didn't know what to say.
Emperor Jianwu was very capable.
He was not only diligent in matters of state, reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study late into the night, but to win over his ministers, he also took a new consort every month. He was exceptionally industrious in "sowing his seeds" in the rear palace as well.
December of the First Year of Jianwu.
Winter.
Snow drifted down from the sky.
A blanket of silver covered the entire Imperial City.
The first Prince was born.
He was followed by the birth of a Princess.
Emperor Jianwu granted a general amnesty. The entire Imperial City was celebrating, to say nothing of the Imperial Palace itself.
Even from the Library Pavilion, Su Chen could feel the festive air. Gazing toward the distant Imperial Palace, he could vaguely make out the figures of numerous ministers, Military Generals, and nobles congratulating Emperor Jianwu at a grand banquet.
The snow fell heavier and heavier.
Throughout the year, Su Chen had been constantly practicing `Thunderbolt Body Refining` in his courtyard. By now, a single set of movements would produce a full fifty-four thunderous roars from his body.
'Two years of cultivation, fifty-four thunder roars... I should be at the Mid-stage Bone and Muscle Realm.'
He hadn't fought in a long time.
Su Chen himself wasn't sure just how strong he had become.
'It might even be possible to kill a weak Third-Grade expert with a flick of his finger.'
'Nothing good ever seems to happen at the end of a snowy year. I wonder what this year will bring?'
Just as Su Chen was thinking this.
The next moment.
A lone rider on a swift horse galloped into the Imperial City, heading straight for Jinluan Hall.
"Report!"
"Nanyang Commandery has rebelled!"