Chapter 6 Entering the Palace
The silver moon had not yet faded, and the sky was gradually turning blue. Inside the red walls, a corner was already bustling with activity. Palace servants dressed in deep robes were gathered around the wells and kitchens of each palace. The stoves were red-hot, and wisps of white smoke rose obliquely, cutting through the night with a single stroke.
The eunuch carrying the lanterns moved swiftly and steadily through the various alleyways and corridors, his eyes fixed straight ahead. However, he failed to notice the newcomer behind him, leaving her far behind as they turned several corners.
The newcomer walked unsteadily and slowly, but when he fell behind, his steps became very firm, always heading in the right direction, as if he were wandering not in an unfamiliar palace, but in his own backyard.
The eunuch Yin, who was holding the lantern, walked all the way to the front of the Shangyi Bureau's office before turning around to look. He was surprised to find the new bride standing right behind him. He could only hide the hostility in his eyes and give her a sneer.
The gatekeepers guarding the main gate of the yamen were changing shifts. When they saw them coming, they all bowed to the leading eunuch. They originally did not intend to pay attention to the small fry following behind, but one of the gatekeepers glanced at them and quickly nudged the person next to him with his elbow, signaling them to go and see.
The sky was still overcast, and the surrounding light was very limited. After a hard look, the gatekeepers' sleepiness vanished instantly, and they all showed expressions of amazement.
However, before they could get a closer look, the figure was no longer there, but had entered the government office with the people in front of him.
"Why have you arrived so early, Eunuch Yin? Is there something urgent?" Manager Chao, who had just finished his shift in the front hall, greeted Eunuch Yin with a smile as soon as he saw him. Then, noticing the newcomer behind him, he asked, "Who is this person?"
Eunuch Yin called out "Xiao Qingzi," turned his head to signal the newcomer to come forward, bow to the steward, and then said, "There is only one newcomer. Lord Pan sent him to the palace. Please arrange a job for him."
Master Chao looked at Eunuch Yin with a smile and asked, "Young Master Qing, do you have a preferred place to go?"
The newcomer was none other than Masakatsu. Masakatsu had already made up his mind, but after what happened on his way here, he was wary of the Yin family's unspoken malice and suspected that if he revealed his preference for the Imperial Kitchen now, he might be tripped up. Therefore, Masakatsu only said, "I will leave it to you, Master."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Yin glanced at Masakuni, frowned, but said nothing.
Manager Chao's smile faded. "No one's chosen? This puts us in a bit of a bind. Hmm... let me think... speaking of which, I did have a good option before—"
"The Imperial Kitchen".
As soon as the Nest Master finished speaking, True Su's golden eyes brightened slightly, as if tiny starlight was twinkling in them.
Then Steward Chao continued, "The Imperial Kitchen was short-staffed recently, especially for serving meals." But the next moment, he changed the subject, "Unfortunately, someone was transferred yesterday, so there are no vacancies for the time being. It's really unfortunate. Serving meals is a rare and excellent job. Every few days, people come here asking us to arrange one for them."
"..." Shinjuku lowered his head, concealing the slight twitching of his lips.
They're just messing with him.
The work at the Imperial Kitchen was, to put it mildly, extremely important. The reason he favored the Imperial Kitchen was not because of the salary and benefits, but because it was a major channel for accessing poisons.
Before delving into the history books, he had skimmed through their contents and remembered that it mentioned the kings of the Nian Kingdom suffered an unusually high number of assassinations each year, with poisoning being the most common method. Although he hadn't yet made up his mind to cultivate the "Five Ultimate Classics" at that time, he was already subconsciously paving the way for his possible future choices.
The Nian Kingdom has extremely strict control over poisons. Ordinary pharmacies can only hold small quantities of highly toxic medicines, and ordinary people who want to buy poisons must register their names and purchase in limited quantities. As for where one is most likely to obtain large quantities of poisons for cultivation, Zhen Su concluded that it is within these palace walls.
Later, Master Chao proposed another position at the Imperial Horse Stables, saying that it was highly sought after because the horses at the East Horse Ranch were all stamped with horse seals and were true warhorses, raised to be incredibly fat and strong. Even His Majesty's imperial horses were kept in the East Horse Ranch's stables.
Shinju thought to himself, "Warhorses are linked to military power, so the fighting for them is probably real. Although I don't vie for power, it would be easier to act if I could rise in rank." So Shinju nodded.
Then, the head of the nest arranged for Shinjuku to work at the Nishimaba.
West Racecourse, not East Racecourse.
"...May I ask, Lord, what is the West Horse Ranch like?" Shinju asked patiently.
"It's pretty much the same as Dongmachang," said Manager Chao with a forced smile.
Shinjuku fell silent, realizing he had fallen into a trap, and closed his eyes.
If it were really that similar, why wouldn't it have been mentioned at all when the Imperial Horse Stables were introduced earlier? But it sounds like it should be more remote than the East Horse Stables, which might make it easier for him to stay hidden for a while.
Okay, let's go with West Racecourse then.
As soon as Shinju and Eunuch Yin left, another person in charge, who had been eavesdropping behind the screen the whole time, came forward to gossip.
"Master Chao, isn't that pageboy one of Lord Pan's men?" the man asked.
"In this palace, how many people aren't Lord Pan's men? He's the head of the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs, the largest of the five directorates and ten bureaus. He's in charge of appointing eunuchs, and all the servants and eunuchs can be considered his men." Chief Clerk Chao's lips still curled up, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and his words were full of sarcasm. "Since they all belong to him, then of course there are different ranks among them."
Another person in charge, surnamed Shan, said, "Master Chao sees things very clearly. I have learned a lot from him."
Manager Chao waved his hand, "Like that one who went to the palace a few days ago, that's the one who was properly served tea. If you want to curry favor, you have to choose the right person first."
"But this little Qingzi is really good-looking!" Manager Shan said, changing the subject again.
Manager Chao's smile vanished instantly, his face darkening with gloom. Manager Shan glanced at him twice before quickly changing his tune, saying, "But he's nowhere near as handsome as Eunuch Lin. Eunuch Lin is far more attractive!"
Upon hearing this, Manager Chao's expression softened slightly, and he retorted sarcastically, "So what if you look like that? If no important person sees you, it's all for naught."
West Horse Ranch was a place where imperial favor was unlikely to descend. There, one could only deal with livestock, and throughout the year, even outsiders were rarely seen. Furthermore, West Horse Ranch did not have a manager, which meant there was no superior. Without a superior, one could not be promoted, and the path to advancement was cut off from the very beginning.
Manager Shan smiled in agreement, "That's undoubtedly a 'good' place for him. Master Chao is very thoughtful."
"Hmm."
.
West Horse Racing Field.
Shinju had imagined what this place would be like. He originally thought it would be a place where old and weak horses were kept. However, when he arrived, he found that it was not like that at all. Although it was called a horse farm, he could not see a single horse. Instead, he saw a small, pure white elephant, an unknown large bird, a white-faced monkey, and even a lynx and a leopard.
The strangeness and abundance of species exceeded Shinjuku's imagination.
However, they all looked to be in poor condition. Most of them were listless and slumped in their cages, and it was unclear whether they were dead or asleep. Many of them were skin and bones, except for the white elephant, which was still relatively plump.
The servants at the West Horse Ranch were no better off; they were all dressed in tattered clothes, with blank expressions, and moved slowly.
Shinjuku asked several people, and they looked at each other, clearly unsure who to assign him tasks. However, they answered another of Shinjuku's questions, explaining why these birds of prey and wild beasts were kept here.
"Ah, these are all tributes from local areas or gifts from neighboring countries. Do you see the sparrows under the eaves over there? Those are messenger pigeons. Besides them, there are also the pets of nobles."
Shinjuku rested his chin on his hand, wondering if there really was a noble person's pet among them. Wouldn't they be held accountable for taking such poor care of it?
The old servant seemed to have guessed what Shinjuku was thinking and added, "For now, only the eldest princess has a pet, which is in the sheep pen at the back."
However, someone countered, "His Majesty also keeps pets, but not here. I've heard that His Majesty built a palace for one of them, and he keeps it there specifically."
Shinjuku remained indifferent, clearly uninterested, and didn't join the conversation. Just as he was about to look for more work, someone suddenly ran up to him from behind and called out, "Hey, don't go! I have a job for you!"
...
When the cicadas rest.
A furtive figure, familiar with the place, groped his way into the dark and pushed open the sheepfold door. Turning back to the person behind him, he said, "Master, I've taken care of everything. No one will be here."
"Hmm." Immediately, a luminous pearl lit up in the sheepfold, faintly illuminating the white lambs shivering in the corner.
The boy, addressed as "Master," gradually blushed with an eerie red and commanded, "Hold onto Biying for me."
"Yes." The servant wrapped the sheep's muzzle with a cloth strip, then grabbed the horns with both hands and dragged the lamb forcefully in front of the boy.
The lamb's horizontal pupils quickly became moist, and its whimpers and howls could not penetrate the surrounding wooden walls.
In the servants' quarters not far away.
Shinjuku had already gone to sleep, but he kept vaguely sensing some strange noises somewhere in the horse farm. The more he thought about it, the more awake he became. He was worried that something might have happened to the animals in the horse farm, so he focused all his senses and looked out.
Upon this discovery, Shinju was stunned. Why was it the sheepfold? He had just taken on a job assigned to him that day: to take care of the eldest princess's lambs.
It was the dead of night, and there were two wicked men in the sheepfold.
Zhen Su couldn't detect the specifics, but if his Purple Mansion seal were lifted and his divine sense were released, he would be able to detect things not only within this area but also as far as a hundred miles away.
It seems that the matter of unsealing the Purple Mansion should be put on the agenda as soon as possible. His Heavenly Rank Qiankun Bag still contains many treasures, including pills, talismans, magic weapons and cultivation techniques. Without his divine sense, he has not been able to retrieve them.
But now is not the time to think about these things; the most urgent task is to get to the sheepfold.
Masatsu threw off his bedding, tiptoed onto the communal bed, put on his slippers, and dashed out like an arrow.
A moment later, several men in black, perfectly concealed in the night, watched as a figure suddenly appeared and approached the sheepfold they were about to surround.
"...How could someone have suddenly arrived?! Were we detected beforehand?"
"Oh no, we can't let him get near the sheepfold, or we'll alert him!"
The men in black became anxious, but one of them suddenly stared at another spot and exclaimed excitedly, "Why is our master heading towards that person?!"
"What--"
Shinjuku hurried along, and the closer he got to the sheepfold, the more ominous he felt. The moment he stepped onto the damp grass and passed a half-open door, Shinjuku's unease reached its peak, and he secretly gathered his strength.
Just then! A tremendous force suddenly struck from the side, and Masakatsu, unable to dodge, was violently thrown against the opposite wall. His chest tightened as a tall figure blocked his path, casting a shadow that completely enveloped Masakatsu. Before Masakatsu could even see who it was, a cold, hard object pressed against his chin and then violently lifted him up—
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