"Zhao Feng sent him!?"
Zhao Feng was the most influential figure in the palace at present, the Grand Eunuch of the Internal Affairs Bureau, and Zhao Bugao's godfather.
Wei Chengji and Zhao Feng were from the same period, but compared to him, his achievements were far inferior.
But compared to those who were already dead, Wei Chengji was still an extraordinary figure.
The power struggles in the palace were incredibly fierce, not only among the nobles but also among the servants like them.
None of the palace maids and eunuchs who lived to old age were ordinary people; they all possessed extraordinary wisdom in dealing with the world.
Wei Chengji had once competed with Zhao Feng for supremacy, but later, he paid a considerable price to settle their grievances under the witness of the older generation.
But what did Zhao Feng mean by having his adopted son come to him at this time?
At this moment, Wei Chengji would rather they handle things officially.
Because looking at the smile on Zhao Bugao's face, Wei Chengji could only assume they had a bigger scheme.
This was likely a price he could not afford.
And if he couldn't make them happy, he was afraid…
They were all old foxes of a thousand years; merely revealing their attitudes was enough.
Seeing Wei Chengji's pale face, Zhao Bugao supported him, and with his other hand, he gestured forward, taking the initiative and saying:
"Eunuch Wei, let's go inside and have a good talk."
The two entered the main hall, then tightly closed the doors and windows, while the Flower-Clad Eunuchs guarded outside, allowing no one in or out.
Upon seeing this, Li Xuan quickly went around to the back, hoping to find a window to eavesdrop.
He had a premonition that the conversation between these two people would not be simple.
But when Li Xuan got to the back, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Unbeknownst to him, the main hall of Yan Qu Hall was already guarded every five steps, with a sentry every ten steps.
More Flower-Clad Eunuchs guarded every door and window of the main hall.
"When did these Flower-Clad Eunuchs arrive?"
There were clearly many more Flower-Clad Eunuchs here than Zhao Bugao had brought in through the main entrance.
"Damn it, that dead Eunuch!"
"He spoke politely, but he arranged his people into someone else's home."
Li Xuan anxiously looked around and found that there was no angle from which he could see inside.
With the doors and windows tightly shut, he could only hear the conversation inside by pressing himself against the wall.
"Right, try the roof."
As soon as Li Xuan climbed a tree near the main hall, he found that there were also Flower-Clad Eunuchs on the roof on guard.
As soon as he got up, he made eye contact with a Flower-Clad Eunuch, which scared him so much that he quickly scrambled down.
That Flower-Clad Eunuch didn't pay much attention; it was just a Little Cat, and it was normal for it to climb up and down.
It was just that this one was a bit timid and ran away as soon as it saw him from afar.
Finally, Li Xuan had no choice but to hide in a nearby bush.
From here, he could neither see nor hear any movement from inside the main hall.
"What exactly is Zhao Bugao trying to plot?"
This was the first time Li Xuan had ever been frustrated since he started out.
He used to wonder if there would really be someone in the palace who would be so perverted as to guard against even a Little Cat like him.
Now, he had actually met one.
Li Xuan's curiosity to explore could not be satisfied, making him feel an unbearable itch.
But in this situation, he could only watch and worry.
Zhao Bugao and Wei Chengji discussed behind closed doors in the main hall for a long time, and just as Li Xuan was about to fall asleep, the main hall's door slowly opened.
Zhao Bugao was the first to walk out, a smile on his face, clearly in a good mood.
Wei Chengji walked out two steps behind, his face grim, clearly unable to smile.
Zhao Bugao turned and bowed, saying, "Eunuch Wei, you can stop here. It was truly presumptuous of me to visit so suddenly today."
Wei Chengji said nothing, simply returned the bow, remaining silent.
Seeing his attitude, Zhao Bugao merely smiled slightly, leaned in, and whispered:
"As long as the Eunuch acts according to the plan, I guarantee that the Eunuch will be safe and sound."
"Zhao Bugao promises in the name of his godfather."
With this promise, Wei Chengji's expression softened a bit, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Since I have agreed, I will not go back on my word."
"Zhao Feng was able to reconcile with me back then and has not offended me since this autumn; I naturally trust him."
With Zhao Feng's current power, it would be effortless for him to deal with Wei Chengji.
But seeing that Wei Chengji could still firmly hold the position of Eunuch Yin of Yan Qu Hall to this day, it was clear that this Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Grand Eunuch of the palace, had no intention of settling scores later.
"That's best, that's best…"
Zhao Bugao said with a chuckle, then led his people away without looking back.
The Flower-Clad Eunuchs retreated in an orderly fashion, disappearing in moments.
However, Wei Chengji's expression remained solemn, full of worry.
Li Xuan didn't know what the two had discussed, but judging from their respective expressions, it was clearly a result Wei Chengji was unwilling to accept.
And Zhao Bugao leaving directly with his people seemed anticlimactic.
He had initially thought that such a grand display at Yan Qu Hall today was to thoroughly investigate the place and find the source of the haunting rumors, but now it seemed there was no intention of doing so at all.
Zhao Bugao merely left after a closed-door discussion with Wei Chengji.
It was as if he had completely forgotten his original purpose for coming here today.
But after Zhao Bugao left, Li Xuan saw that Yan Qu Hall's palace gates were tightly closed, completely sealing off the inside from the outside.
Wei Chengji, in his capacity as Eunuch Yin, issued an order: "Due to the recent unrest in the palace, Yan Qu Hall will be closed and locked down to restore order."
"During the lockdown, no one is allowed to wander freely within the hall without necessary duties, and no one is allowed to privately discuss palace affairs."
"Violators will be severely punished!"
The sudden lockdown caused some panic throughout Yan Qu Hall, but everyone had no choice but to obey the order.
Li Xuan realized that this might be the result of Zhao Bugao and Wei Chengji's closed-door discussion.
However, its true purpose was still unclear.
"Now, I can only act according to the circumstances."
Li Xuan sighed, hidden in the shadows.
This feeling of being out of control, of being helplessly torn apart by this invisible vortex, was truly unpleasant.
"I should still go keep an eye on Deng Weixian and Xiao Zhuozi."
...
In the days that followed, as Yan Qu Hall was completely sealed off, no more news from the outside could get in.
The initial atmosphere of panic also settled down.
It seemed that this closure and lockdown of the palace truly worked, making everyone's hearts less agitated than before.
Xiao Zhuozi also settled down, sleeping obediently at night, and hadn't gone to "suck on bamboo pipes" for several days.
Li Xuan and Deng Weixian also relaxed a lot, spending their days practicing.
Their lives seemed to have returned to their previous peaceful state.
Li Xuan, however, could still freely enter and exit Yan Qu Hall, so he could occasionally gather some news from other places.
Initially, he thought this closure and lockdown of the palace was being implemented throughout the entire imperial harem, but he soon discovered that only Yan Qu Hall was affected.
Haunting rumors were still spreading in other places, but they were not as rampant as they had been a few days ago.
Presumably, after some more time, these haunting rumors would gradually subside and become another old story in the palace.
Just as everyone was anticipating this, on a peaceful morning, a scream shattered everyone's illusion.
The hard-won peace of Yan Qu Hall was finally broken again.
"Ah—"
"Someone hanged themselves!"