Chapter 724: Entering the Palace

Weise led the way, and soon the envoy was in sight. That was no ordinary envoy.

The envoys from the capital were three people, three eunuchs: a head eunuch leading two junior eunuchs.

As they walked, it became a head eunuch leading one real and one fake junior eunuch.

The process of the swap was exceptionally smooth. These three eunuchs were not without martial arts; the head eunuch in the lead could even be considered an expert of the Inner Court, his internal Qi cultivation reaching a miraculous level, though he was not yet a Sword Guest. The junior eunuch had only just learned some martial arts, and in Tang Zhao's eyes, he was extremely weak and truly defenseless.

Tang Zhao lightly used the light screen to cut to a blind spot, then pushed the junior eunuch inside and instantly impersonated him.

Originally, Weise had also wanted to swap a junior eunuch to follow along; he could have swapped even more smoothly than Tang Zhao, even mimicking the junior eunuch to the point where the head eunuch wouldn't notice. But Tang Zhao still didn't let him go. After all, he was going to face a Sword Immortal this time. Although, relying on the face of the Gaoyuan Marquis, there was a high probability of nothing happening, if there were any accidents, Tang Zhao would have difficulty taking care of everything besides himself, so it was better to go up alone. Originally, this was also a secret mission of Yunzhou.

As for whether the acting was vivid and lifelike, or whether it could be so natural that even his own parents couldn't tell the difference, that wasn't the important part. He just wanted to go up the mountain, not impersonate a eunuch to sneak into the palace, make friends with the Emperor, and get promoted to a title.

He easily changed his clothes and followed the head eunuch up the mountain. Because it was late, the junior eunuch walked with his head down, so it went smoothly.

At the foot of the mountain, there were naturally disciples guarding the gate. Seeing them from afar, they had already sent word up the mountain. By the time the three approached, the serving disciples on the mountain pushed the door open and came out, cupping their hands: "So it is Eunuch Jia. What brings you to visit in the dead of night?"

The Imperial Preceptor had close ties with the palace, and the head eunuchs who came and went often were all recognized.

Eunuch Jia said: "The Empress Dowager sent me to see the Imperial Preceptor; there is an urgent matter!" Although he maintained his composure, the last three words already revealed his anxiety. As he spoke, he handed over the token.

Tang Zhao thought: A eunuch by the Empress Dowager's side? Coming over overnight at such a late hour? There must be something going on. Could it be that this matter is actually true? It's just that the Empress Dowager was keeping it under wraps in the palace, and now that she can't hold it anymore, she has come to seek help?

For the past few days, a piece of news had been repeated over and over, making it impossible to fathom. Perhaps this is what true high-level politics is like?

Tang Zhao thought: Regardless of whether you are real or fake, once we go up the mountain and see the Imperial Preceptor, won't you tell the truth? Then I'll have a clue. If there really is nothing, I simply won't risk seeing the Imperial Preceptor in the middle of the night; I'll just go back where I came from. Tomorrow, I'll follow the formal procedure and see him in a legitimate way, saving a lot of risks.

Having made up his mind, Tang Zhao followed carefully.

That Eunuch Jia entered the Nine Heavens Dao Palace and, familiar with the path, arrived at the backyard. In the backyard, someone was already waiting; it was the master of the Nine Heavens Dao Palace, Zhongmeng Zhenren. He pointed to the room inside and said: "Eunuch Jia, say whatever you have to say to the inside. You know the Imperial Preceptor can hear."

The main room was pitch black, and no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like there was no one there.

Eunuch Jia agreed, bowed in salute, and the two junior eunuchs behind him followed suit. Although Tang Zhao's movements were slightly slower, his reaction was quick, and he was also standard and flawless.

Eunuch Jia said: "Imperial Preceptor, the Empress Dowager asks you to take the trouble to enter the palace and mediate the relationship between the Emperor and his mother. Today, the Emperor didn't know what rumors he heard and spoke many disrespectful words to the Empress Dowager. This evening, he broke into the palace to accuse the Empress Dowager, demanding that she not leave the palace gates at will from now on. I also heard that Jin Chengyi, who is by the Emperor's side, has left the capital and headed north to the Great Camp. Tomorrow, the capital will be in chaos. Imperial Preceptor, the various feudal lords will be entering the capital soon; we cannot have chaos at this juncture. Even the palace cannot be in chaos. If mother and son are at odds, wouldn't that make people laugh? Or if those with ulterior motives see an opportunity and harbor rebellious intentions, what should be done? You cannot ignore this..."

He started with a narrative, but as his emotions rose, he suddenly burst into tears, snot and tears streaming down his face, appearing extremely sincere. He had been in the palace for a long time and had climbed to this position; tears came whenever he wanted them to.

Tang Zhao remained silent in the back, thinking: There is no problem this time. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are indeed both alive, but it is true that their relationship is bad. Perhaps King Shun had some certain information and then made an inference, but was the inference exaggerated?

After a while, only hearing someone in the pitch-black room say: "The Emperor accuses the Empress Dowager, accuses her of what?"

Hearing this voice, Tang Zhao only felt a bit of numbness.

It was a physical numbness.

That kind of sound was a human voice, but it had a tremor that humans could not produce, sounding as if a slight electric current had brushed across the skin.

Is this the voice of the Imperial Preceptor?

If Tang Zhao hadn't seen a Sword Immortal or a Sword Saint, he might have been filled with awe upon hearing this voice, thinking only: Is this the voice of a powerhouse? Indeed, it is different from a mortal.

But he had seen a Sword Immortal, and even a Sword Saint, and had chatted with them face-to-face; those voices were also ordinary. Therefore, Tang Zhao knew that powerhouses were not necessarily so strange in their voices. He was very puzzled: Is this voice innate? Or is it a passive ability granted by the sword?

Could it be that because he holds a high position, he deliberately does not show his image and uses this voice to create a sense of mystery and majesty?

Logically, there is no need; the Imperial Preceptor is a Sword Immortal, almost unique in the Human World. Even if he danced in the street with his bare bottom, he would still have majesty.

Eunuch Jia heard the Imperial Preceptor's question and stammered: "This old servant dares not repeat it. It is nothing more than some issues that have been clarified before."

The Imperial Preceptor in the room gave a short snort and said: "I only advised the Emperor last month to calm his mind and restrain his temper, to put benevolence and filial piety first, and to fulfill the duty of mother and son. He even promised me. How could waves arise out of thin air? Who knows which of the two of you is making trouble out of nothing? Although I have the responsibility of protecting the country, it is only for the sake of peace in the world, not to manage your trivial matters or to be a peacemaker for you women."

Eunuch Jia knelt down with a thud. Tang Zhao cursed inwardly, but could only quickly kneel down like the other junior eunuch.

Then he heard that Eunuch Jia cry: "Imperial Preceptor, you are a saint, you cannot just stand by and watch. If you don't care, and the Emperor and Empress Dowager are at odds, first the palace will be in chaos, then the capital will be in chaos, and then the whole world will be in chaos. The common people will suffer. With just one word from you, the Imperial Family will be at peace, the capital will be at peace, and the world will be at peace. You are the great savior of the common people..."

This guy is also very good at talking; he is worthy of being from the imperial palace. Tang Zhao thought to himself in the back.

This also shows something: Eunuch Jia uses the common people to persuade the Imperial Preceptor, which shows that using this to persuade him is effective. It also shows that the Imperial Preceptor still cares about the common people.

Although for so many years, apart from maintaining the safety of the Great Jin Imperial Family and the capital, he hadn't seen him do anything beneficial to the country and the people, at least he was not openly shameless.

Regardless of whether the Imperial Preceptor really cares about the people or not, the fact was that Eunuch Jia's tearful plea was effective. He heard a shout from inside: "Enough. You go out and wait."

Eunuch Jia was overjoyed, hurriedly climbed up, left the courtyard, and waited at the gate.

After a while, the courtyard gate opened, and a magnificent carriage drove out. The carriage body was made of sandalwood and had a strange fragrance. It was carved with flying celestial patterns, which was the symbol of the Nine Heavens Dao Palace.

This large carriage was far more exquisite than the plow carriage of the Kun Sword Saint, but apart from the fact that the whole thing looked like it was carved from a single piece of wood, it was not decorated with any gold or jade, nor was it particularly luxurious or rich. Even looking closely, the texture of the wood was not as good as metal or stone; it could not refract luster, nor did it have dark carvings or reliefs, so it lacked that low-key luxury feeling.

However, Tang Zhao guessed that this wooden carriage was the Imperial Preceptor's hobby. The powerhouses he met all liked to ride in their own carriages, and everyone's carriage had a unique style. Like Guiyuanshi, who could clearly teleport to the Suiyu, but still sat in a broken carriage and flew up slowly. Just like the Imperial Preceptor, with his strength, he could also arrive at the palace instantly, but he still went by carriage. This is status, also called "style."

At this time, another carriage drove out from behind, inviting these eunuchs to get on. When they came, for the sake of speed, they rode horses, and the horses were left at the foot of the mountain. Now, returning to follow the Imperial Preceptor, they would ride in the carriage.

Tang Zhao hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

In fact, by now, he had basically achieved his goal; knowing that the Emperor was still alive and the Empress Dowager was also alive was enough. He could go back to rest and come to pay a formal visit the next day; he didn't necessarily have to follow along overnight to watch the palace family's bloody drama.

But he couldn't get away now; the Imperial Preceptor was in the carriage in front, too close. He could change into a person at will under the eyes of the eunuchs, but if he played this trick in front of the Imperial Preceptor, it would be too disrespectful to a Sword Immortal.

Therefore, he had to get in the carriage first. Fortunately, after getting in the carriage, the head eunuch, Eunuch Jia, sighed and said: "Finally finished this errand. You guys keep an eye on things; I'll take a nap."

After giving the order, the old eunuch leaned on the carriage seat and fell asleep.

When the old eunuch began to snore slightly, the junior eunuch opposite Tang Zhao stared at Tang Zhao and whispered: "I'll take a nap, Xiao Caozi, you keep an eye on things."

Tang Zhao suddenly realized: Among the three eunuchs, the eunuch he impersonated, "Xiao Caozi," had the lowest status; others could rest, but he couldn't. The junior eunuch opposite him dozed off after speaking. He wasn't sleepy anyway, so he sat in the carriage and pondered the matters at hand.

The two carriages drove toward the Imperial City overnight, unobstructed all the way. Occasionally, they heard the sound of a sentry post, and someone would mutter a word and let them pass. Obviously, the strict garrison was just a decoration to the Imperial Preceptor.

All the way into the capital, they drove straight into the Jinyuan. The Empress Dowager naturally lived in the Jinyuan, and Tang Zhao had also muddled his way into the Inner Court. This might be his only chance to enter the Inner Court, but he couldn't show off to anyone when he got out.

Arriving at the Inner Court, they naturally couldn't ride in the carriage. Tang Zhao woke up the junior eunuch, the junior eunuch woke up the head eunuch, and the two followed the head eunuch off the carriage, leading the way before the Imperial Preceptor.

At this time, Tang Zhao realized that the Imperial Preceptor had not gotten off the carriage; in the back hall of the palace, he was still sitting in the carriage and moving forward slowly. It was just that the ones pulling the carriage had been changed to eight junior eunuchs.

Seeing a tall building in front, Tang Zhao saw the three large characters "Ning Shou Gong" from afar by the light of the lamps.

This was where the Empress Dowager lived.

Tang Zhao thought: This trip was so worth it; I even saw the Empress Dowager's sleeping palace.

But in fact, he thought too much; it wasn't his turn to go in. He saw Eunuch Jia go forward alone, pulling the large carriage to enter the gate of Ning Shou Gong. The junior eunuch beside him didn't move. Tang Zhao was naturally tactful and stayed put.

However, just at this moment, a scream was heard.

A sound like crying and wailing rang in everyone's ears: "My son, wake up—"