Within the Imperial Palace, security was ironclad. There was a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten, with patrols of the Forbidden Guard constantly moving about, searching for any rebels still hiding within the palace!
"Reinforcements, quickly! Rebels are storming a gate, trying to escape the Imperial Palace…"
A signal flare shot into the sky.
A squad of the Forbidden Guard sped past Su Chen. Not long after, a series of horrific screams rang out as several Jianghu Heroes and members of the Demon Ghosts were dragged out and mercilessly hacked to death.
The Imperial City had the Three Guards.
The Hidden Guard, the Forbidden Guard, and the Killing Martial Guard.
Now that the dust had settled, they were all mobilized to protect the Great Liang Imperial Palace.
"So many rebels. The Imperial Palace is incredibly dangerous right now."
The Black-robed Eunuch beside Su Chen, who had been cursing the Killing Martial Guard, couldn't help but remark with a sigh.
"It is."
Su Chen agreed, showing not a hint of awareness that he was the number one most-wanted rebel.
Soon, navigating the Imperial Palace with practiced ease, Su Chen arrived at Qianyun Palace. This was the residence of Empress Dugu. Princess Yunyang, having been raised by the Empress, naturally lived here as well.
"I'm here to return the palace token. The items the Princess requested are here."
Su Chen went to the steward's office to deliver the items.
At that moment, a furious roar could be faintly heard from within Qianyun Palace.
"Bastards!"
"A pack of useless trash!"
"A single Third Grade Marrow Cleansing cultivator slaughtered three thousand of my Killing Martial Guard, and you just let him swagger away with the corpse of that Purple-robed Castrated Dog, Zhang Gui, right in front of the Empress?!"
"He's merely in the Upper Three Grades, and after a realm-wide manhunt, there's still not a single trace of him? Are you all completely useless?!"
"COUGH COUGH… The honor of my Great Liang has been utterly shattered by those two castrated dogs!"
「Inside Qianyun Palace.」
Pale and terribly weak, the enraged Emperor Jianwu was pointing at the high-ranking, red-robed figures of the Inner Palace and the Commanders of the Three Guards, berating them without pause.
The Commanders of the Three Guards all looked aggrieved and couldn't help but try to defend themselves.
"Your Majesty, this Su the Thief transforms wind and rain into his sword. Although he's Third Grade, he already shows glimpses of the power of a First-Grade Minor Grandmaster! Forget about us—even a Second Grade expert might not have been able to stop him…"
"Besides, three days have passed. That thief has likely long since escaped, like a dragon returning to the sea. Who knows which of the Nine Commanderies he's hiding in by now…"
"What's more, there are rebellions flaring up in all of the Nine Commanderies…"
Emperor Jianwu only grew more furious.
"Find him!"
"Scour the Nine Commanderies, but bring me that thief's head! I will have Zhang Gui's body drawn and quartered! And to think I trusted him so completely…"
Emperor Jianwu's roars made the eunuchs and Forbidden Guards outside Qianyun Palace hold their breath, not daring to make a sound.
「Outside Qianyun Palace.」
After completing his task, Su Chen left immediately.
Along the way, he had already found out everything he needed to know. The identity he had assumed, Xu Ge, was a Little Black-robed Eunuch from the Imperial Palace Pharmacy. Once he completed his task, he could return directly to the pharmacy to tend to the medicinal herbs.
No one would have ever guessed that he, Su Chen, the realm's number one rebel, had turned right around and slipped back into the Imperial Palace.
Emperor Jianwu himself would never have imagined it. The very Su Chen he was so desperate to get rid of had, just moments ago, been standing on the other side of the same door.
Not long after, Emperor Jianwu's carriage departed from Qianyun Palace.
「In the carriage.」
Emperor Jianwu, a man in his thirties, began to cough violently, so hard that he spat out a fragment of an internal organ. His eyes grew dark, his expression twisting with even greater fury.
'This physical body is about to give out.'
'Looks like it's time for the throne to change hands again…'
'Fortunately, the children I left behind are unharmed.'
He gazed into the distance, toward the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, where his son and daughter resided.
…
…
The Imperial Palace Pharmacy occupied a fairly large area in a rather remote corner of the palace. It was originally under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Hospital, but many of its menial tasks had been outsourced to the palace eunuchs. It even had its own medicinal field for growing simple herbs.
"Kid, you actually survived."
The one overseeing the pharmacy's day-to-day affairs was an old eunuch in a green robe, not a proper Blue-robed Steward.
His name was Chen Ge.
He had been in the palace for fifty years, serving through the reigns of four emperors: Emperor Liang Yu, Emperor Tianwu, the Deposed Emperor, and Emperor Jianwu. Though he had no cultivation, he was as cunning as they come with age and lived a comfortable life by controlling the pharmacy.
"Since you survived, you should give up on that illusory dream of cozying up to Princess Yunyang. Do you think opportunities like that are easy to come by? Who do you think you are, Zhang Gui? Able to win favor and skyrocket to the top in a single leap?"
Chen Ge said in a sarcastic tone.
Su Chen nodded obediently.
And so, his days in the Imperial Palace Pharmacy began.
The entire staff of the Imperial Palace Pharmacy consisted of Chen Ge, the old eunuch, and Su Chen. Neither had any cultivation, so they were completely overlooked by the palace. The only reason the pharmacy hadn't been shut down was that the emperors had been replaced so frequently in recent years that no one had bothered with it.
Although it was called the Imperial Palace Pharmacy, if a true noble fell ill, the Imperial Hospital would handle it directly. This pharmacy was only for treating low-ranking, common eunuchs with minor ailments like headaches and fevers.
'Has this kid had a change of heart? He's actually settling down to work diligently in the pharmacy.'
Chen Ge was a little surprised, but then he nodded.
'It's for the best.'
'An ordinary eunuch needs to accept his lot. With no talent for cultivation, trying to follow a noble around is just a death sentence.'
"Keep up the good work."
"I don't have many years left, but I consider you my true successor. When the time comes, you'll watch over this pharmacy, get to wear a green robe, and live a pretty comfortable life here in the Imperial Palace."
With a full head of white hair, Chen Ge came up beside Su Chen, who was preparing medicine for a sick eunuch, and patted his shoulder.
"Yes."
"Elder Chen, I've thought it through."
"Trying to stand out is just a fantasy. There's a much better future in simply looking after this pharmacy."
Su Chen said with a wide grin.
'The Imperial Palace is in turmoil, with treacherous undercurrents everywhere. This pharmacy may be insignificant, but that makes it the perfect hiding spot.'
The Seventh Year of Jianwu passed quickly.
Spring passed into autumn.
Year after year went by.
Time flowed on, and soon it was the Ninth Year of Jianwu.
Now, Emperor Jianwu's health was deteriorating day by day.
Of the Nine Commanderies, three border commanderies had completely broken away from Great Liang's control. They had declared their independence, falling into the hands of the remnants of the Three Great Sects of the Martial World and the treacherous Noble Families.
One northern commandery established itself as the independent Youx Country.
A southern commandery was annexed by Great Liang's neighbor, the Great Zhou.
Another commandery in the southwest had become a land of chaos, a battleground for the power struggle between Great Liang, the Great Zhou, and the Youx Country.
「The Tenth Year of Jianwu.」
A heavy snow fell, blanketing the Imperial Palace.
"It's just a common cold. Brew this medicine and drink it once a day for three days, and you'll be fully recovered…"
"Thank you, Master Xu!"
The Little Eunuch thanked him profusely.
After seeing the last patient, a Little Eunuch, out, Su Chen rose and looked toward the Imperial Study.
Just a moment ago, a squad of the Forbidden Guard had escorted a magnificent carriage toward the Imperial Study. Su Chen could vaguely make out that the passenger was none other than the thirteen-year-old Prince.
'It seems Emperor Jianwu is about to "pass on the throne."'
'Three years have passed.'
'He finally can't hold on any longer!'