But the young eunuch quickly shook his head, casting the jumble of questions from his mind.
It didn’t matter how this old man had gotten up here, or whether he was truly a peerless master.
The most important thing now was to stay alive.
He quickly wiped the shocked and suspicious look from his face, replacing it with a respectful expression as he answered cautiously.
"The... the Celestial Secret Pavilion? Sir, I really don’t know. I’ve only been here for half a year, and there are many parts of the Imperial Palace I’ve never been to."
He paused before adding, "If you want to know about that, you’ll have to find Eunuch Li. He’s the old patriarch of the palace eunuchs, the Chief Eunuch. He knows everything."
Lu Yun gave a slight nod but didn’t reply. Seeing his silence, the young eunuch hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
This time, he lowered his voice even further, his expression growing more fearful. "But, sir, I’d advise you not to enter the Imperial Palace."
"And whatever you do, don’t go near Prince Jing’an’s palace."
"Prince Jing’an?" Lu Yun raised an eyebrow.
The young eunuch nodded emphatically. "Yes, that’s the one!"
"Half a month ago, a childhood friend of mine went to Prince Jing’an’s palace and vanished without a trace. No one’s seen him since, dead or alive."
"I tried to ask around quietly, but no one dared to talk about it, and no one dared to investigate. It’s as if he never existed."
"Then, a few days ago, another young eunuch my age was sent to serve at Prince Jing’an’s palace... and he disappeared too."
"Tonight was supposed to be my turn. I was terrified, which is why..."
He lowered his head, not finishing the sentence, but Lu Yun already understood.
That was why the young eunuch was risking his life to escape Purple Qi City.
However, the world outside Purple Qi City was just another place for a slow death.
Because these were difficult times.
The young eunuch and his friend had fled famine in the countryside, thinking they could make a life in Yanjing City. But they soon discovered that without connections, a person couldn’t survive anywhere.
Hauling sacks at the docks? After paying all the protection fees at the end of the day, you couldn’t even afford a full meal.
Pulling a rickshaw? Same story. Most of what you earned went to the local thugs.
To survive... the young eunuch and his friend decided to enter the palace and become eunuchs.
The Yin Dynasty had fallen and the eunuch system existed in name only, but the Yin Court remnants still living in the Imperial Palace had plenty of money.
Notices recruiting eunuchs were often posted on the outer palace walls. They went into great detail, promising full meals and even a salary.
All it took to obtain this was a small price: castration.
Lu Yun paid little mind to this so-called Prince Jing’an. The most important thing right now was finding the Celestial Secret Pavilion.
"Where does this Eunuch Li live?"
Hearing this, the young eunuch quickly pointed to a cluster of low, scattered buildings in the distance. "Eunuch Li is the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Court. He lives over there, in the Inner Harmony Courtyard."
"Just follow this path straight ahead. You’ll see a courtyard with red walls and green-tiled roofs. That’s the place."
Lu Yun looked in the direction he pointed and silently memorized the location.
Then he turned and leaped from the wall, down into the pitch-black palace grounds below.
The young eunuch’s eyes widened at the sight, and he instinctively leaned over the edge to look.
The wall was over ten meters high, and the old man had just jumped straight down!
’This old man really is a peerless master!’
He pulled his gaze back, looking at the rope dangling over the side of the wall, then down at his own trembling hands.
Then, the young eunuch took a deep breath, grabbed the rope, and slid down as fast as he could.
Lu Yun hadn’t done anything to the young eunuch. The boy wouldn’t dare make a scene; he was even more desperate than Lu Yun for no one to notice the night’s strange events.
It was his only chance to escape this man-eating Imperial Palace.
The Inner Harmony Courtyard Main Room served as the Chief Eunuch’s residence. The room was kept neat and tidy.
The table and chairs were wiped spotless, the bed was spread with a soft mattress, and a stick of incense burned in a censer in the corner.
The only thing out of place in this era was the candlelight. Flickering flames danced within a dim, yellowed lampshade, bathing everything in the room in a warm glow.
There were no electric lights from the Western World in the Imperial Palace, none of those newfangled contraptions. Everything remained as it was in the former dynasty.
An old eunuch sat in a chair, his long, gray-streaked hair draped casually over his shoulders. The wrinkles on his face were as deep as the bark of an old tree.
Two middle-aged eunuchs stood before him, their hands clasped respectfully at their sides.
"Where has Xiaosenzi gone? It’s his turn to serve His Highness Prince Jing’an tomorrow."
Upon hearing the old eunuch speak, the middle-aged eunuch on the left bowed hastily. "Reporting to Eunuch Li, he said he went to relieve himself. I’m sure he’ll be back shortly."
Eunuch Li nodded slightly, his expression unreadable. "Mm, very good. You are dismissed."
He paused, then added in a sinister tone, "Remember, keep a close watch on him. If Xiaosenzi is nowhere to be seen tomorrow..."
"...one of you will have to take his place serving Prince Jing’an."
The two middle-aged eunuchs’ faces went deathly pale at his words. ’Take Xiaosenzi’s place serving Prince Jing’an?’
Everyone knew that three eunuchs had already vanished from Prince Jing’an’s residence!
"Y-yes! Eunuch Li!" the two stammered in unison before turning and fleeing.
Only Eunuch Li remained in the room. He stood up, stretched his stiff back, and prepared for bed.
Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Hearing the noise, Eunuch Li turned. "Who’s there?"
Then he saw a face—a face just inches from his own.
Eunuch Li’s pupils contracted violently. He stared, wide-eyed, at the person before him, his face a mask of utter disbelief.

Comments

Loading...