The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 58

In May, the Zhou state was defeated, and its territory was annexed by several neighboring states. Under the leadership of Duke Liu, the Southern Dynasty army won several major victories, intimidating other states and annexing most of the Zhou territory to the Southern Dynasty, further expanding its territory.

This was originally good news, but along with the news of the army's triumphant return, Liu Qingtang was also presented with the news that Duke Liu was seriously injured.

The letter was vague and ambiguous. Liu Qingtang turned pale as soon as she read it and threw the document away. If Qin Shu hadn't arrived just in time to stop her, she would have almost left the palace without a care.

"Qingtang, calm down first. The army will not return to Yujing for several days. It will be of no use for you to leave the palace now." Qin Shu helped Liu Qingtang sit back down, holding her hand in one hand and supporting her shoulder with the other, speaking calmly.

"I'm going to see my brother and tell him to hurry and see how Father is doing." Liu Qingtang's face was still full of worry and anxiety.

"Don't rush. You can't handle this personally. I'll go see the Imperial Uncle. He knows what to do. Qingtang, please don't lose your composure in the palace."

Liu Qingtang wrapped her arms around Qin Shu's neck, gradually calming down. "Go ahead, I want to see what's going on, whether it's an accident or someone's up to no good."

After Qin Shu left, Liu Qingtang sat alone in her seat, looking through the void at the Chang'an Palace where the emperor was, a look of suspicion flashing in her eyes.

Qin Shu returned quickly and told her that Liu Qingrong had already set off, which temporarily relieved Liu Qingtang. The Liu siblings had never verbally expressed how much they cared about their father, but in their hearts, their father, who had raised them and guided them into adulthood, was the most important person in the world. That man, forever like a mountain, was their guide, someone they could always see when they looked back, no matter how far they went. Therefore, even though Liu Qingtang had experienced much, and even though Liu Qingrong, though new to officialdom, was already known as a shrewd and calculating fox, they couldn't remain calm at this moment.

The brother and sister understood each other well, so Liu Qingrong rode at full speed for two days. As soon as she caught up with the returning army and met her father, she wrote a letter to Liu Qingtang, who was waiting for news in the palace.

Father Liu was indeed injured, but not seriously; it was only a minor injury. The one who was truly seriously injured was Xi Lan, the young man who had become the martial arts champion and was taken as a disciple by Father Liu. This still-naive and cold-hearted boy fought bravely and made great contributions on his first battlefield experience. In the end, he even took an arrow for Father Liu in the chaos; otherwise, Father Liu might have really perished on the battlefield.

Upon receiving this news, Liu Qingtang was completely relieved.

Half a month later, the army returned to the capital. That night, when the military officers were welcomed back and rewarded, Duke Liu did not attend. Liu Qingtang remained calm and composed throughout the night, and the next day she disguised herself and left the palace to return to her residence.

When Liu Qingtang arrived, her father was writing calligraphy in the study. Liu Qingtang had been filled with anxiety, but sitting beside him watching her father write a piece, her mood calmed down unconsciously. After her father finished writing, washed his hands, and sat down opposite her, Liu Qingtang was able to speak calmly: "Did he do this?"

On the battlefield, Liu Shaodi exuded a murderous aura that made people afraid to look him in the eye, but once he returned home, he completely restrained himself. Hearing his daughter's question, he even appeared somewhat weary. If he had harbored any hesitation or hope when he first heard his daughter's words, it was completely gone now. He remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"It was him." The person who shot him with an arrow amidst the chaos after the final victory was the very same grandson of the emperor his daughter had told him about, the one buried among the Liu family's army. He had heard about him from his daughter long ago, yet he still insisted on keeping the man among the Liu family's army, clinging to a sliver of hope that the child he had watched grow up wouldn't truly want to kill him. It seems he was too soft-hearted. Ironically, he had killed countless people on the battlefield his entire life, emerging from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, his heart always hardened. His only soft spot was reserved for his family and loved ones, and now his own grandson had utterly broken his heart.

However, what pained him most was his daughter. He felt an overwhelming heartache for her, and on the way back, he kept thinking that if she knew this news, she would be heartbroken again. Her love for Huaixu… the Emperor, was no less than his own, and in this situation, she would likely be even more heartbroken. Now, recalling the words she spoke last year, every word was filled with blood and tears, and only now did he truly understand their meaning. The unyielding Duke Liu felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart; at this moment, he was just an ordinary father.

"Qingtang, you..."

“Father, don’t worry. I’ve known what kind of person Xiao Huaixu is for a long time. He’s already suffered enough in his past life.” Liu Qingtang’s smile was devoid of warmth, her eyes filled with darkness and uncertainty. After a moment, she returned to normal and said, “Father, since the news outside says that you’ve lost weight and are seriously injured, then you should take this opportunity to withdraw from the court and stay at home to recuperate.”

"I will not let my daughter and son be in danger while I do nothing myself," Duke Liu said in a deep voice.

Liu Qingtang smiled and took his arm. "Father, your daughter has grown up, and so has my brother. We can't always be under your protection. These things should be done by us. I know what you mean, Father, but my brother and I have discussed it, and we don't want you to get involved in this. It's a rebellious thing to do no matter what. Please promise me, Father. As long as you take care of yourself, my brother and I will have no worries."

As Liu Qingtang was leaving to return to the palace, she saw her brother standing in the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Liu Qingrong turned around, saw her sister, and smiled, "It's nothing."

"If you have something to say, just say it. What are you laughing at!" Liu Qingtang punched him in the waist.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Liu Qingrong clutched her waist in agreement, still smiling and saying nothing.

This meant he really wouldn't say anything more, and wouldn't reveal a single word no matter how much she asked. Liu Qingtang understood this and stopped asking, figuring he would tell her himself eventually. Instead, she said, "I heard that Xi Lan saved my father's life. I can't see him in person, so please visit him properly for me. We can't be lenient with someone who saved my life. You should treat him politely in the future, and don't keep bothering him like before. You're the only one who has the nerve to bully a child."

When she heard her mention Xi Lan, Liu Qingrong felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, but she quickly regained her smile and agreed repeatedly, promising not to bully that cold-hearted boy anymore.

Liu Qingtang was preoccupied with something else, her mind wandering, and she didn't notice his unusual behavior. Liu Qingrong, however, noticed her distraction and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Father's alright, what's bothering you? Did Qin Shu upset you?"

"Qin Shu is doing very well!" Liu Qingtang nudged him again, then frowned and whispered, "Brother, I want to ask you to find someone for me."

"Find a woman who looks somewhat like me, but not too much like me. Her birth doesn't matter, as long as she's younger than me."

Liu Qingrong raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What are you going to do?"

Once Liu Qingtang made up her mind, she no longer hesitated. She shook her head with a hint of ruthlessness in her expression. "It's hard to say. You just have to search for it for me. It's not appropriate for me to get involved."

"Alright, as long as you know your limits," Liu Qingrong said more seriously, patting his sister's shoulder. They, as siblings, had their own set of habits regarding when to ask and when not to ask.

Back in the palace, when facing Xiao Huaixu, Liu Qingtang remained neither overly affectionate nor excessively distant. Sometimes, she would even suddenly crack a few jokes at him, just like when she first entered the palace, which made Xiao Huaixu somewhat flattered. In short, Liu Qingtang maintained a perfect balance on the surface, despite her many carefully considered intentions. Yujing City appeared as prosperous and stable as ever, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were surging.

A few months later, Liu Qingrong found a beggar who looked four parts like Liu Qingtang and secretly sent him to a small, inconspicuous village.

The Forbidden City always held many secret elixirs. Liu Qingtang had seen one in her youth; it was said to be beneficial to a woman's appearance, but long-term use would damage the body of the man she had sexual relations with, a remedy that was difficult to diagnose and incurable. For ordinary people, the medicinal materials required for this prescription were rare and precious, but Liu Qingtang didn't care. She sent a full year's worth of medicine to the manor for the woman who resembled her.

A year later, this woman will meet Prime Minister Feng by chance, become his adopted daughter, and then, at the suggestion of Prime Minister Feng's son, be sent into the palace. Prime Minister Wang is suspicious and difficult to deal with, but Prime Minister Feng is not so difficult to control, especially since she has already planted the son that Prime Minister Feng brought back as a pawn.

They were just waiting for the plague in the seventh year of Yuan Ning's reign, so they could take the opportunity to send her to Xiao Huaixu's side through Chief Minister Feng. Xiao Huaixu didn't trust her, only the two chief ministers, so this arrangement couldn't be better.

Liu Qingtang recalled Xiao Huaixu's feelings for her, and her brows furrowed, a hint of disgust appearing on her face. She couldn't accept that her nephew had fallen in love with her, especially after he had destroyed the Liu family and murdered her cherished relatives and friends.

While she was at Yushui Manor, she began to notice Xiao Huaixu's feelings, all because of Qin Shu. By sheer chance, she saw the way Qin Shu looked at Xiao Huaixu's back. It was exactly the same look Qin Shu had given her when he didn't know Su Shu's true identity. Qin Shu rarely showed emotion towards anyone, except for her and those close to her; he seemed to look at everyone without a trace of feeling.

Liu Qingtang didn't show anything at first when she saw that scene; she told herself that she was overthinking it. But as intelligent as she was, even the slightest clue could easily lead to many clues, and self-deception was never something she liked.

Later, when she was with Xiao Huaixu, she deliberately tested him a few times. Xiao Huaixu was still young and far less calculating than he had been in her previous life. After several attempts, she managed to see through his intentions, a result that chilled her to the bone.

Many things are like this: when you are unaware, everything seems fine; once you become aware, you'll find clues everywhere. Recalling her past life, Liu Qingtang suddenly realized many things she had never noticed before.

"Ha, that's love? That's ridiculous."

Author's Note: [Boss Jia threw a landmine~ Thank you so much, girl, for today's all-you-can-do event~ Come and accept my love~ By the way, I also saw you on my teacher's wife's page~ Thank you for throwing a landmine there too~]

Since I still have some free time today, I'll ramble a bit~ Ladies, look me in the eye and tell me, are you already thinking, "Hey, Fu Hua Zi, it's time to end this!" or "If it doesn't end soon, I'm almost done reading it?" If you ladies don't... I do! [Hey] Oh well, falling in love with a male lead and writing about him for three months is enough ┑(￣Д￣)┍ Right? Right! It's not that I'm fickle, it's just that I'm so romantic~ [Get lost]

Anyway... the pace will be faster later. I heard I wrote too much lovey-dovey stuff, but I can't help it, I'm just a useless person who gets excited and can't stop writing boring lovey-dovey scenes. All I can write is silly and sweet! I especially like to turn angst into silly and sweet stories! Okay, I'll control myself.

I've written a maximum of 250,000 words before, will I be able to break that record this time? My goal is 300,000! It sounds unbelievable! I also want to write more words to make money, but I can't even finish the original plot, so I'm going to cut it down, let alone add anything. It seems I can only be a low-earning, nobody author. Since quitting my job, I've become increasingly motivated, posting practice pictures on Weibo. Can't you give me some suggestions or opinions? Don't just keep liking my posts, okay? I love you all, come comment! I've written so much, authors with complaints, leave a comment and tell me what you think! I'm so lonely!