Chapter 255

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Learn what?"

Quan De'an said: "The imperial palace is the most perilous place in the world. I personally sent you in there, and everyone will know you are my man. I have always followed close to the crown prince, and the prince treats me well, but the closer I stay to him, the more people see me as an enemy. Some constantly wish to see me dead; only when I die could they take my position. I send you into the palace not only to be my eyes, but also my ears, and at crucial moments my mouth. Therefore you must learn to read people's expressions, discern right from wrong, know what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do. Do not think that being a competent magistrate in a remote county qualifies you for a palace post, and do not look down on people like us. Without desire comes strength; in this world, when it comes to hardness of heart, who could compare to us?"

Hu Xiaotian knew Quan De'an's words were true, yet he felt strange: why had Quan De'an singled him out, and what purpose lay behind sending him to infiltrate the palace?

Quan De'an said: "After my right leg was injured, the martial arts I cultivated could advance no further. I have made countless enemies in the past; sooner or later they will come seeking revenge. I will pass my martial arts to you: first, so you can protect yourself in the palace; second, so my lifelong skill will not be lost." Quan De'an said: "Even if you are extraordinarily gifted, without three to five years of hard training, how could you master the art of raising Yin and shrinking Yang?"

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but gasp. Three to five years—if my parents and friends could escape danger, I would flee the palace. Do I really have to spend my whole life as a eunuch in the palace? Besides, I haven't been castrated; I'm a fake eunuch—how could I sneak into the palace? If discovered, it would surely be the capital crime of extermination of nine generations. He forced a smile and said: "In that case, I'd rather stay outside. I'll train hard for three to five years, then, once I've mastered divine skill, I'll enter the palace to serve the emperor."

Quan De'an heard him say that and chuckled; Hu Xiaotian laughed along, but seeing this old eunuch's smile was truly sly and sinister, ill-intentioned, his heart pounded, yet he didn't know what wicked scheme Quan De'an had cooked up to trap him.

Quan De'an said: "The martial art I cultivate is called the 'No-Gap Secret'. The Buddha said: 'To receive a body without gap means never dying; longevity is the great calamity of the no-gap hell. No-gap hell is the most bitter of the eight great hells, and also the lowest layer of the eighteen hells. Anyone cast into no-gap hell has no hope of release, must endure five kinds of no-gap torment: first, temporal no-gap—there is no moment when one is not suffering; second, spatial no-gap—every part from head to foot suffers; third, instrument no-gap—all torture devices are employed; fourth, equality no-gap—punishment spares neither male nor female; fifth, life-and-death no-gap—endless cycles of death and rebirth, countless deaths, with torment continuing without cease.' Quan De'an said: 'Even if you could wait three to five years, the Zajia cannot wait.'

Hu Xiaotian said: "What should I do then? I'm not some extraordinary martial arts genius. Why not just not make me a eunuch? I do have some medical skill; why not send me to the Imperial Hospital to be an imperial physician?"

Quan De'an slowly nodded and said: "How come Zajia never thought of this earlier?"…

"It's not too late to think of it now!" Hu Xiaotian's face full of expectation, relying on his medical skill to establish himself in the Imperial Hospital should not be difficult.

"Too late!" Quan De'an suddenly swung his hand; his withered, bird-claw-like right palm struck Hu Xiaotian's crown. Hu Xiaotian startled, opened his mouth to shout, but felt an extreme cold yin qi pour straight down from the top of his head, his whole body instantly froze, his mouth and tongue went numb, and that yin cold qi continuously poured into his body. Quan De'an said: "You previously had no martial arts foundation; if you wish to achieve something in a short time, you must adopt the method of transmitting energy. I now use the Great Energy Transfer Technique to pass part of my power to you. You need not fear; just relax your body and let me do as I will."

Hu Xiaotian's face turned blue from the cold, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, he could not utter a word, and inwardly he groaned: this old eunuch, I don't know what strange martial art he practices, yet he has passed it to me; I don't know if it will cause a rejection reaction, and even if it doesn't, the worst would be if I cultivated his art and became a true eunuch—no matter how superb the martial skill, it wouldn't be worth it. Martial arts are for prestige, but the vital essence is for pleasure; even if one were invincible under heaven and formidable in all directions, if in the end one could not enjoy pleasure, what meaning would life have?

Hu Xiaotian's mind was wandering when suddenly he felt a distending pain throughout his body, which grew more obvious until it felt as if someone were tearing his muscles and skin apart bit by bit. Hu Xiaotian felt the pain clawing at his heart, yet he lacked the strength to break free; his mind grew increasingly muddled. Suddenly he heard a boom! as if his entire head had exploded, his vision went black, and he fainted.

When Hu Xiaotian awoke, the room was pitch black; the oil lamp had somehow gone out. As they say, when a person dies the lamp goes out—has my life ended so muddled and confused?

A voice came from Quan De'an beside his ear: "Your physique is even stronger than I expected—not bad, not bad. Having received ten years of my power, you didn't die; in three days you'll be able to train with me."

Hu Xiaotian felt his whole body aching as if it would split, utterly limp with not a shred of strength; he weakly said: "Am I still alive?"

Quan De'an said: "Alive! You promised to do something for me and haven't yet; how could I let you die?"

Suddenly a shrill voice came from outside the door: "Eunuch Quan, someone has come from the palace saying the Emperor summons you to see him."

Quan De'an slowly rose to his feet and whispered: "Rest well; I'll come see you again in two days."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Eunuch Quan, my two friends… they only wanted to save me, they meant no harm to you…"

Quan De'an turned and shuffled to the door, slowly pulling it open; noon sunlight streamed in as the door opened, and Hu Xiaotian closed his eyes—having been in darkness for so long, he could not tolerate the bright light.

Quan De'an said: "You need not concern yourself with those matters."

The new emperor, Long Yelin, stood silently in the imperial garden, his gaze fixed long upon the osmanthus tree that had just come into full bloom; the fragrance was rich, drifting on the breeze throughout the garden, and this refreshing scent eased his tense nerves somewhat.

The newly appointed Left Chancellor, Zhou Ruizhen, stood not far behind him, seemingly waiting for something; the ruler and his minister had remained silent for a considerable time.

Long Yelin finally broke the silence: "You advise me to spare Hu Buwei's life? Have you forgotten how Hu Buwei treated you? He not only colluded with those rebels to impeach me before my father, but also plotted to harm you, nearly costing you your life—have you forgotten all of this?"

Zhou Ruizhen said respectfully: "Your Majesty, have you considered that if you were to slaughter all the officials who once took part in impeaching you, how many civil and military officers would remain at court?"…

Long Yelin said nothing, his gaze quietly fixed on Zhou Ruizhen.

Zhou Ruizhen said: "Some proposed it, some followed, some remained neutral, but few opposed. If they had been able to foresee today's situation back then, those events would not have occurred. Your Majesty, whose guilt do you consider greatest among them?"

Long Yelin snapped: "Whoever proposed it bears the greatest guilt! I will exterminate his nine clans!"

"Subject, I dare say: deposing the elder and establishing the younger—if not for Your Majesty's approval, who would dare to lead such a heaven-defying act?"

Long Yelin's face darkened; Zhou Ruizhen's words could not be clearer. Originally, the decision to abolish the crown prince was made by his father, not by those ministers banding together to impeach him; it was only under his father's order that those ministers acted thus. The true decision-maker was still his father. Exterminate nine clans? Would I have to exterminate my father's nine clans as well? That would be tantamount to digging my own grave. Long Yelin coldly stared at Zhou Ruizhen and growled: "Bold!"

Although Zhou Ruizhen was rebuked by Long Yelin, his expression unchanged, he dropped to his knees and said: "I, your servant, will devote myself utterly until death."

Long Yelin sighed: "Forget it, I bear you no grudge; rise."

Zhou Ruizhen rose, seeing Long Yelin's expression ease somewhat, and continued: "Your Majesty has just inherited the great mandate; you should not launch a massive slaughter, but let the people feel your benevolence. Above all, do not give scheming villains an opening to slander your reputation."

Long Yelin said: "Beloved minister, you yourself once told me that in troubled times harsh laws are needed, and benevolence is for the people, not for those rebellious officials; if one applies benevolence indiscriminately, it is merely womanly kindness."

Zhou Ruizhen said: "Everyone has two sides; Your Majesty, while seeing their faults, also see their strengths. As you are about to ascend the throne, if you embark on widespread slaughter, it will inevitably cause officials to feel fear, even disloyalty. If you treat Hu Buwei, Shi Bu Chui and the like with benevolence, repaying hatred with virtue, you can soon settle the anxious officials at court."

"Anxious?"

Zhou Ruizhen nodded and said: "The reason Li Tianheng of Xichuan rebelled is certainly not his claimed 'loyalist king' motive. Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven of Dakang, the mandate of heaven belongs to you; what basis does the notion of 'loyalist king' have? Knowing that Your Majesty's ascension would jeopardize his position and power, he took risks, raised troops and declared himself lord. In my view, Hu Buwei and he likely had no collusion."

For this new week, I ask for recommendation votes, I ask for monthly tickets!