The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 72

After Xiao Huaixu woke up, he heard Eunuch Fu nervously report that Consort Xuan and the little princess had disappeared. Sitting on the bed with a calm expression, he said, "All the servants in Qingyin Palace have been dealt with."

Afterwards, news spread that the little princess born to the emperor's favorite concubine, Consort Xuan, had passed away, and that Consort Xuan, overwhelmed with grief, had also died. The funeral was not particularly grand, as Xiao Huaixu was bedridden, appearing too grief-stricken to care, and it was said he had even vomited blood. Those unaware of the situation assumed the emperor was ill because of the death of his favorite concubine, and to avoid upsetting him at such a time, the funeral was held in a very low-key manner. Of course, this was undoubtedly related to the special advice given by Eunuch Fu.

As an emperor, how could Xiao Huaixu tolerate the news of his woman's infidelity being known to others? Therefore, he only said that Xuan Ge had passed away, without mentioning that she had disappeared with a man whose identity he did not know.

Recalling the man he saw before he lost consciousness, Xiao Huaixu felt a surge of murderous intent. Even if he didn't like Xuan Ge, she was still his woman, and she would remain his until death.

Xiao Huaixu had intended to secretly send people to find Xuan Ge and that damned man, but he had only caught a glimpse of the man before he lost consciousness and hadn't seen his face clearly, so he had no way to find him. As for Xuan Ge, she looked similar to Liu Qingtang, and Xiao Huaixu had kept her hidden in Qingyin Palace for so long without letting her out, not even allowing many servants to watch over her. At this moment, he would never send people to search for her openly, even though he hated her to the core, he was powerless to do so.

Because of Liu Qingtang and Xuan Ge's affair, coupled with the poison in his body, Xiao Huaixu fell ill from anger. This time, he wasn't as lucky as before. He summoned the imperial physician, whose expression immediately changed upon taking his pulse. After a long and rambling explanation, the physician concluded that his extreme anger had damaged his health and that without proper care, his life would be in danger.

Xiao Huaixu's expression also changed. He hadn't expected it to be so serious, but when questioned, the imperial physician couldn't say anything. The indirect poison Liu Qingtang had used on Xuan Ge was so subtle that, without knowing what kind of secret medicine was used, not only one imperial physician, but the entire Imperial Medical Academy couldn't detect it. Unable to discern that the illness was merely caused by excessive worry based on the pulse, the imperial physicians only dared to maintain a moderate approach and prescribe some health-preserving formulas for the emperor.

Of course, this was of no use to Xiao Huaixu's illness. Over the years, Xiao Huaixu's body had become increasingly weak. Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, it would show whenever he got angry. A healthy young man would never vomit blood so easily. Some experienced imperial physicians might have noticed something amiss, but who dared to say for sure?

Such matters always involve hidden conflicts within the royal family. For lowly imperial physicians, feigning ignorance is the safest course of action. If they were to expose it and anger those in power, not only themselves but their entire families might be at risk. Throughout history, countless imperial physicians have been implicated in these sordid affairs of the royal family. Besides, if they only sense something is amiss but cannot pinpoint the specific cause or devise a treatment, then no one would dare to speak out.

The others were unaware that any of the imperial physicians with even a modicum of skill could see that the emperor's constitution had been damaged for some unknown reason. Even if he recovered, he would likely be frail and sickly, or have a short lifespan. Given the current situation in the court, this emperor was essentially finished, and no one wanted to rush in and cause trouble.

The experienced imperial physicians noticed something amiss, but being shrewd and cautious, they remained silent and pretended not to see anything. The younger physicians, lacking experience, couldn't discern anything, so they all unanimously attributed the emperor's rapidly progressing illness to excessive worry and frequent emotional distress such as sadness and anger, which were causing physical depletion.

Xiao Huaixu had no suspicions and could only try his best to control his emotions and recover his health. Whether it was revenge or something else, he would make those people regret the mistakes they had made today in five or ten years.

For some reason, Xiao Huaixu, who usually had good self-control, became increasingly unable to control his temper. He was always inexplicably irritable and would smash things at the servants who served him if they didn't do something right. Since he fell ill, in order to prevent Liu Qingtang from taking back the part of the government affairs he had finally managed to hold onto, he had been forcing himself to handle those matters. Unfortunately, during this period, the memorials he was presented with were all news that was favorable to the Liu family, which made Xiao Huaixu's face grow worse day by day.

Another thing that troubled Xiao Huaixu was Qin Shu, the chief eunuch of Cining Palace, who claimed to be on the Empress Dowager's orders to deliver medicine to him every few days. Xiao Huaixu, being wary, naturally wouldn't drink the medicine, but seeing Qin Shu reminded him of the scene he'd witnessed that day—the woman he loved but couldn't have smiling at him. Therefore, whenever he saw Qin Shu, Xiao Huaixu had to struggle to suppress his murderous intent. Compared to Xuan Ge and that unknown adulterer, Xiao Huaixu wanted Qin Shu dead.

In his eyes, Qin Shu, with his status and crippled body, wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes, let alone being with Liu Qingtang; it would be a defilement of her. Xiao Huaixu's feelings towards Liu Qingtang were increasingly complex. He couldn't believe that such a proud woman would like such a eunuch. Disappointment, shock, anger, and an inexplicable sense of grievance mingled within him. In what way was he inferior to this filthy, lowly servant!

A complex mix of emotions swirled within him, and Xiao Huaixu's already complicated love gradually transformed into a dark and resolute resolve. Since his desire had been unfulfilled and the woman defiled and destroyed, he might as well destroy her completely. Even the finest jade has flaws; even his most cherished possession could only end up being smashed to dust.

As for Qin Shu, who had defiled the beautiful jade, Xiao Huaixu felt nothing but hatred and murderous intent. However, he couldn't touch him yet; this Grand Eunuch of Cining Palace also controlled the palace prison and the Imperial Household Department. Xiao Huaixu finally understood Liu Qingtang's concern for Qin Shu. Previously, Xiao Huaixu hadn't understood why Liu Qingtang trusted Qin Shu so much, but now it all made sense.

If he were to make a move against Qin Shu before he was ready to confront Liu Qingtang, he would definitely face a fierce counterattack from Liu Qingtang, and he would have no choice but to endure it for the time being. However, even knowing this, Xiao Huaixu felt as if his heart was being burned by fire, which made him restless day and night.

With someone who desperately wanted to drink blood and eat flesh in front of him every day, and Xiao Huaixu being such a jealous and self-centered person, how could he possibly recover properly? On the contrary, because he was constantly suppressing his heavy thoughts, his illness became more and more serious.

That day, Qin Shu came over as usual to deliver some medicinal herbs to Xiao Huaixu. Under Xiao Huaixu's cold gaze, which was filled with suppressed hatred, he said some polite words and then left.

As he left, he heard the sound of a medicine bowl being accidentally knocked over inside. Qin Shu's lips twitched, revealing a hint of sarcasm.

After leaving Chang'an Palace, Qin Shu didn't immediately return to Cining Palace. Instead, he went to the palace prison. This prison, which he had single-handedly built up and managed, had now become a place everyone in the palace avoided. The many dead inside had given it an eerie atmosphere, and even from the outside, one could smell a faint stench of blood. Ordinary palace servants didn't want to approach it at all, and even the servants working there disliked it. As for Qin Shu, the prison's supervisor, they felt a mixture of nine parts fear and awe, with one part disgust.

When not in Liu Qingtang's presence, Qin Shu always appeared ruthless, indifferent, and aloof. There was no room for sympathy with him; everyone knew he was a heartless tyrant. Even the most ruthless person would feel uncomfortable witnessing the executions in the palace prison, but he never even raised an eyebrow, no matter what he saw or did. Upon seeing him enter, the palace servants inside the prison were initially startled, then quickly bowed in respect, only secretly breathing a sigh of relief after he had passed.

Qin Shu walked deeper into the prison, completely oblivious to the increasingly strong stench of blood and the eerie atmosphere. The two eunuchs who accompanied him were both trained by him. Upon entering the prison and seeing the various instruments of torture stained with blood, and the wretched prisoners, they, like Qin Shu, showed no extra emotion, remaining indifferent.

Qin Shu also had a room inside the palace prison. He was sitting alone there, pulling out a scroll from the wall full of files and sitting down at the table to look through it. A little while later, a meek and obedient eunuch walked in, clearly a lowly eunuch who served in the Chang'an Palace.

The young eunuch, who had previously cowered and trembled when Xiao Huaixu angrily threw a teacup, appearing utterly useless and timid, now looked sharp and clever in front of Qin Shu, showing none of his previous cowardice. He first bowed, then respectfully said, "Supervisor, we've finished our supplies."

"Hmm," Qin Shu replied, taking out a paper package from a file. "Same as always."

"This servant understands, Supervisor, please rest assured." After saying this, the little eunuch packed up his things and quietly left.

That wasn't poison, but a hallucinogenic drug. Qin Shu had been plotting this ever since he noticed Xiao Huaixu's feelings, and it had been going on for several years now. After years of continuous exposure to this drug, Xiao Huaixu's current irritability, frequent mental instability, and even the fact that the poison in his body was more severe than expected, were all due to Qin Shu.

This drug, which is usually undetectable in palace inspections, was found in Xiao Huaixu's clothing, perfumes, accessories, and even the charcoal used in winter and the ice used in summer. As Qin Shu's power grew and the number of people he placed within the Chang'an Palace increased, he didn't rush things, but instead used this safest method to harm Xiao Huaixu's body, silently accelerating his decline.

Xiao Huaixu thought himself patient and patient, but little did he know that Qin Shu was even more patient and patient than he was. How could he allow someone else to covet the one he loved?

Qin Shu sat there alone, continuing to peruse the files, until a flicker of light from the bright candle beside him broke. Only then did he close the files, put them back, and leave. The two eunuchs waiting at the door quietly followed him out of the prison. Wherever Qin Shu went, there was utter silence, a palpable sense of oppression. He, however, seemed oblivious, continuing on his way.

Upon arriving at the small garden of Cixi Palace, they heard the Empress Dowager shouting, "Catch that fat bird for me! I'm going to stew it today!"

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, you are as beautiful as a flower today, it is not a good day to get angry!" the parrot cackled, begging for mercy.

Liu Qingtang laughed and scolded, "Keep joking, wait until Qin Shu comes back and I'll have him deal with you!"

Upon hearing her voice, the oppressive feeling around Qin Shu immediately dissipated, and he appeared much warmer.

"Qin Shu, you're back." Liu Qingtang turned around and saw Qin Shu walk in, and immediately complained as if she were tattled, "That fat bird annoyed me again today!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shu glanced indifferently at the parrot, which was as fat as a chicken pacing back and forth on the ground. "Does Your Highness want a hairpin made of blue feathers?" he asked casually, while rolling up his sleeves—a gesture he made before plucking the fat bird's feathers. Seeing this, the parrot, which was too fat to fly, immediately let out a mournful cry and scurried haphazardly into the flower bushes, scattering petals all over the ground.

As the flowers swayed, the fat bird's frantic cry could be heard: "I can't find me! I can't find me!"

Seeing how frightened it was, Liu Qingtang smiled smugly and snorted. Qin Shu's eyes softened, and he pulled her to sit on the chaise longue under the flowering tree. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the thin layer of sweat from her forehead and poured her a cup of tea. Seeing Zhuiyi smilingly bring over a plate of pastries, he used a damp cloth to wipe Liu Qingtang's fingers clean.

Watching him skillfully and meticulously complete these tasks, Liu Qingtang picked up a piece of pastry and brought it to Qin Shu's lips. After he took a small bite, she leaned in and kissed him before eating the pastry herself, her movements fluid and graceful. After finishing a small piece, Liu Qingtang suddenly sighed and clutched her waist. "Qin Shu, I think I've gained weight recently. Look at me, I'm idle all day with nothing to do, and my waist has gotten thicker."

"How about we leave the palace in a while?" Liu Qingtang stroked her chin. "Let me think about it. It'll be almost the Golden Buddha Festival soon. Why don't we take this opportunity to go to the Bathing Buddha Temple to offer incense and stay there for a few days?"

Author's Note: Hmm... almost 300,000 words... I'll try to finish the main story within 20,000 to 30,000 words, that should be about it _(:3∠)_