Chapter 199: Sneaking into the Palace
Chapter 199: Sneaking into the Palace
Andefang, Beijing.
Every inch of land is valuable under the emperor's feet, especially Andefang which is close to the "back gate" of the imperial city.
Behind Bei'anmen are the twenty-four yamen of the inner court.
The eunuchs who were prominent in the palace all bought houses in Andefang, settled their fake wives and children, and went out of the palace to reunite with each other during their days off and lived like normal people.
"Qin's house!"
In front of the vermilion gate, two stone lions stand with bared teeth and pearls in their mouths, looking very majestic.
Zhang Yu took off his golden mask, still wearing his black robe, but only wearing the Ziwei Sword on his waist.
As for the Xuanyue Sword, it was temporarily kept in Liu Ruyan's hands because it was difficult to hide when carried.
Qin Shuner said respectfully: "Mr. Zhang, please."
Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "The guest should follow the host's wishes. Everything should be done as usual. Follow the established rules and don't let others see anything unusual."
The capital city is home to elite soldiers and horses, and is also the headquarters of the old enemy Jinyiwei. If it is accidentally captured, even the Grand Master may not be able to escape unscathed.
Zhang Yu went to Beijing alone, willing to take risks.
One was to kill the biggest traitor of the Divine Religion, the former head of the Suzaku Hall, in order to enhance his own prestige in the Guardian Hall and even in the Sun and Moon Divine Religion.
Secondly, the secret hidden in the blood file is related to Yang Lianting, who is in power. The key to solving the mystery is Yang Fengming.
Qin Shuner nodded, walked quickly up the steps and rang the door knocker.
After a while, an old man who was half blind and half deaf half pushed the door open, rubbed his drunken eyes and looked several times before he recognized that it was his master.
"I'm back home. Anyone who can breathe, come out to greet me!"
As Qin Shuner stepped into his own mansion, he was immediately filled with energy and spirit. The hard work of running around outside, the fear of wandering between life and death, the shame of groveling, the unwillingness of being controlled by others, all kinds of negative emotions were expressed in an instant.
"My godfather is back."
"My sons are late in welcoming me, godfather, please forgive me."
"Godfather has been working in the palace for many days, and I miss you so much..."
When Qin Shuner was about to reach the main hall, four greasy-haired and powdered boys of about sixteen or seventeen appeared from the corner of the West Garden corridor. They rushed out in a panic, knelt in front of the threshold, kowtowed and greeted, with flattering smiles on their faces, and shook their heads like lion dogs, begging for their master's love and mercy.
"Where is your mistress?"
Qin Shuner glanced at them and saw that the four of them were in disarray. Two of them even wore the wrong boots, so he asked a question.
Qin Xiaohai said: "Sleeping!"
Qin Xiaodong: "Playing mahjong."
The two said in unison.
Qin Shuner frowned and asked, "What are they doing? Why haven't they come out yet?"
Qin Xiaofu, the oldest among the group, smiled and replied, "Godfather, the two mistresses played mahjong with their sons in the morning, and then they got tired. After lunch, they should be taking a nap in the backyard now."
Zhang Yu followed behind Qin Shun'er with his sword in hand, acting as a guard, silently watching with cold eyes.
As the father and son were talking, the rich scent of cosmetics quickly filled the air.
Two women dressed up beautifully, twisting their hips and walking quickly towards us, seemed to be quite pretty.
"I have seen you, Master."
Qin Shuner saw that the two girls had just put on their makeup, their eyes were swollen and they looked listless. He chuckled and walked into the lobby with the two of them in his arms.
The four young men looked at each other quietly when they saw this, then they breathed a sigh of relief and followed their godfather in. In the hall, there was a plaque with the words "propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame" hanging in a strange way.
Qin Xiaohai looked at the strange man sitting in the hall drinking tea. He was neither hurried nor slow, and had an extraordinary demeanor. He smiled and asked, "Godfather, this guest is good-looking. Could he be your new adopted son?"
Qin Shuner's face turned pale with anger, and he slammed the table and said, "Nonsense!"
Qin Xiaohai was so frightened that he trembled all over. He knelt on the ground to apologize and slapped himself hard.
Qin Shuner looked at Zhang Yu and saw that he looked normal and not angry.
"Forget it, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll pull out your tongue!"
"This is the eunuch from the Internal Affairs Bureau. He accompanied my father on an errand and accidentally soiled the palace uniform. Xiaofu, you two are of similar stature. Please lend him the clothes you prepared."
Qin Xiaofu was delighted. In this way, the time for him to enter the palace could perhaps be postponed. Although he would inevitably be hit by the Forget-Your-Worry-Breaking Sword sooner or later, at least he could live happily for a while longer.
"My son will go get the clothing and hat cards and give them to this father-in-law."
Qin Xiaofu quickly slipped out of the Hall of Propriety, Righteousness, and Integrity.
The other three people looked at the black-robed man who was sitting silently, and thought to themselves, no wonder he looks so fair and handsome, it turns out he has been purged.
The two mistresses in the hall, who were heavily scented with feminine smell, glanced at him secretly, thinking what a pity it was that he had already lost his power and was left with only a great appearance.
The three Yizi spoke eloquently and used flattering words all the time.
Qin Shuner found this very useful, and considered it a kind of psychological compensation mechanism.
In order to consolidate their power, eunuchs not only have to rely on their superiors, but also have to cultivate successors as early as possible, usually by establishing adopted sons and grandsons to maintain the relationship.
Although Qin Shun'er was only in his early twenties, he was favored by Concubine Wan because of his efficient work. He was given the title of Chief Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department at an early age. He was considered a top figure and was qualified to make long-term plans for himself.
He found four young men from the same clan, adopted them all as his sons regardless of their seniority in the family tree, and personally taught them etiquette. When the right opportunity came, he castrated them and sent them to the palace to train them to become his wings and minions.
After the banquet, Qin Shuner sent his wife and children away, and the two of them went to the study in the back hall.
Zhang Yu changed into the black uniform of a minor eunuch, a long belt with corners tied around it, and a middle-ranking official's hat. He also hung a blank ivory card around his waist.
Qin Shuner opened the wooden box and took out a blank certificate of appointment, which actually had the seal of the Imperial Household Department on it.
"...I entered the palace in the eighth year of Emperor Yousheng's reign and was assigned by the Imperial Household Supervisor to work at the Guangxizhuang Coal Mine in the suburbs of Beijing..."
The Internal Affairs Bureau was in charge of purchasing matters in the palace, and the benefits were very lucrative. Every year, the various grades of coal burned in the imperial city was a major item. This was Qin Shuner's private land, and because he had the support of Concubine Wan, even the eunuch who held the seal of the Internal Affairs Bureau did not dare to interfere.
Every winter, Concubine Wan's Zhaode Palace was always the warmest place in the imperial city.
"Because of his effective work last winter, I was recently transferred back to the Twelve Yamen as an attendant of the Internal Affairs Supervisor, with a rank of ninth grade..."
It is not easy to create the identity of a eunuch out of thin air and sneak into the imperial city.
As Qin Shun'er spoke, he picked up his pen and wrote down Zhang Yu's age, appearance, height, and place of origin on the blank document. These were just temporary measures. If someone really wanted to investigate from the beginning, they would not be able to bear any scrutiny.
Finally, only the name column was left empty.
"Mr. Zhang, what's your name?"
"Li Yu."
Qin Shuner picked up his pen and started writing.
"The Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, that's a good name."
In this way, the certificate of appointment of an attendant named Li Yu, who was a ninth-rank eunuch, was forged. As long as it did not attract careful investigation by interested parties, with Qin Shuner's cover, it would not be a problem for him to sneak into the palace in a short period of time.
(End of this chapter)