Dragon and Phoenix Double Orders
Gu Yi said, "You are someone left by the previous emperor to the last emperor." He deduced this from the reign title. The previous emperor's reign title was Yuanhe. A year before the crown prince ascended the throne, he promoted Rongyu to the position of Grand Palace Supervisor, naturally paving the way for the crown prince to seize power.
Rong Yu sighed, “That’s right. The last emperor only reigned for seven years, yet I accepted seventeen bottles of the 'Heart-Trapping Powder.' You can imagine what the political situation was like at that time. That’s why I don’t want to say more.”
Historically, the "Qianji San" (牵机散) was only used to execute high-ranking officials, palace women, and princes and grandsons, and only for reasons that could not be made public, such as personal or political motives. If it was a matter of official misconduct, it could be handed over to the Court of Justice for judgment according to the law.
Emperor Huan's reign lasted only seven years. Without consulting the court or the Court of Justice, the emperor privately ordered the execution of as many as seventeen high-ranking officials and palace women using the "Qianji San" (a type of poison). This shows how chaotic and dark the politics were at that time.
A Qiu understood even more clearly the sigh Rong Yu uttered upon entering: "Since entering the palace to serve the emperor, the four constellations of Tianji have become invisible. Unless they are in danger to the royal family, they remain silent and indifferent to everything. Therefore, even if many things happen right before our eyes, we will pretend not to see them."
Given her refined and scholarly nature as the head of the Four Mansions, Rong Yu must have tried her best to persuade and advise the last emperor. However, her abilities were limited to her position as Grand Eunuch. During the late Huan Dynasty, the imperial family, relatives of the empress, and powerful clans vied for power, resulting in bloodshed. Notably, there was no trace of the eunuchs who were closest to the emperor and deeply trusted by him. Behind this, there must have been the influence of Rong Yu, the head eunuch, who consistently maintained a low profile and humility.
Gu Yi looked at Rong Yu and said, word by word, "Doesn't Supervisor Rong think he made a mistake?"
Rong Yu's bright eyes met his gaze without flinching, and he said with a hint of amusement, "Do you really think I would forget something so important because I'm old and senile?"
She said in a sorrowful yet calm tone, "I personally ordered the execution of each and every one of them. Among them were ambitious individuals who brought it upon themselves, those who misjudged the situation and failed due to confusion, and those who were completely innocent and framed. Do you think I, the Junior Tutor, could not remember how many such scenes I have witnessed?"
Gu Yi calmly replied, "In the previous dynasty, a total of sixteen people died from the use of the 'Qianji San' (牵机散), all of whom are recorded in the Imperial Historian's 'Huan Shu' (桓书). Whether Rong Jian made any mistakes in recording this is evidenced by historical records."
Historical writing may be straightforward or biased, but it will never distort the facts.
Rong Yu did not lose her composure at being exposed for her lie, but rather appeared surprised. After a moment, she looked dazed and said abruptly, "I did indeed misremember someone."
When this person was mentioned, her voice became much quieter and more melancholic, revealing her original feminine timbre.
“She was originally going to be executed by being pulled into a coffin, and I even brought the medicine with me. But at the last moment, the emperor came in person and took the bottle of medicine from her hand.”
As Rong Yu finished speaking, he seemed relieved, as if he was glad that he didn't have to poison the woman himself.
She was immersed in the deep memories of the palace, her gaze faintly revealing a hint of sorrow.
"His Majesty at that time had indulged in wine and women for many years, and was often capricious, unrestrained, and absurd. I could not offer any advice, and could only carefully follow his every order and try to guess his intentions. He wanted to order that person to be executed, so I made an excuse to get medicine and arrived a little late. When I arrived, I asked her to dress and get ready first, which delayed me a bit. Sure enough, His Majesty regretted it as soon as he finished delivering the decree and rushed over immediately, managing to save a life."
A Qiu was also moved. What she admired was that Rong Yuexian, such a proud and frivolous person, had, over the decades, truly acted like a mature and prudent eunuch, being thoughtful and meticulous in everything she did, yet leaving no trace.
She couldn't help but recall what Gu Yi had said when they first met: many things in the palace were not so easy to judge, nor could they be resolved with a single stab to the throat. The palace was not a world of chivalry and vengeance; even Rong Yuexian could not act recklessly but had to be cautious at every step and think things through at every turn.
Rong Yu's voice, however, showed no trace of the smugness he felt for successfully rescuing the person.
"But I knew then that you can save someone temporarily, but not forever. If His Majesty suspects someone, no matter how much his likes and dislikes churn in his heart, he will ultimately make sure that person dies."
She sighed, "Although she didn't die this time, she couldn't hold on for long. A few months later, she died from exhaustion."
As Rong Yu continued his narration, Gu Yi's expression gradually revealed understanding.
After Rong Yu finished speaking, he suddenly looked old and sighed, "Young Master, you must have already guessed who it is! In this palace, there was only one woman who could make the last emperor of the previous dynasty truly love and hate each other, and feel so conflicted about gain and loss. No one could watch her die without being moved, not even me, the Grand Palace Eunuch. The day her coffin was carried away from this palace, I knew that the era of the Great Huan Dynasty had passed!"
Gu Yi glanced at A Qiu, as if to stop Rong Yu from saying that person's name, and immediately said, "Since the attempt to order his execution failed and was stopped by the last emperor, where is the bottle of 'Tethering Powder' that Rong Jian took with him?"
Rong Yu seemed to have just remembered, and his face showed a strange expression. He said, "The situation was chaotic at the time. His Majesty rushed over in a rage, snatched the Qianji Powder from her hand, and then yelled at me to get out. I dared not stay any longer, and it was impossible for me to ask him to give the Qianji Powder back before leaving. I could only apologize and quickly lead a few eunuchs away. After that, I never dared to ask about the matter again."
The eunuchs served the emperor, but the emperor himself did not supervise them. Moreover, the last emperor was not a good-tempered person; he would easily smash things or draw his sword if provoked.
Gu Yi remained silent. A Qiu then realized that the bottle of poison that killed Madam Chu was likely found here.
According to Rong Yu, during the reign of the last emperor when she served as the Grand Palace Supervisor, she handled a total of seventeen bottles of the "Temptation Powder." Of these, sixteen people were executed, as evidenced by historical records. The remaining bottle, which was neither used to execute the woman nor retrieved by Rong Yu, is now missing.
Rong Yu muttered to himself, "Where that bottle of 'Qianji San' went back then, only the emperor, that person, or someone close to that person would know."
A Qiu couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly was that woman who eventually died of illness? The last emperor is gone, so we can only try to find clues through her. Since that bottle of 'tethering powder' eventually ended up outside the palace and was used to kill someone, this clue must be alive, not dead."
Gu Yi listened to her analysis, which made a lot of sense, but remained expressionless and did not urge Rong Yu to reveal the woman's name.
Rong Yu, however, seemed to be meeting her for the first time, scrutinizing her closely before asking, "Your name is A Qiu, isn't it?"
A Qiu was surprised that Rong Yu asked her this at this moment, and replied, "Yes, my name is Shi Wanqiu, and my nickname is A Qiu."
He added, "Did Supervisor Rong already know A-Qiu? Last time at Jinshuilou Square, I felt that Supervisor Rong seemed to recognize me."
Rong Yu chuckled and said, "As soon as you entered the palace, you went on a night trip with the Junior Tutor, and then you fought with Commander Sikong Zhao on the top of Xianyang Hall." She pointed to the dome above her head, "I watch the stars on the top of Zhaixing Tower every night, how could I not see them?"
She softened her voice and said, "But now I feel that I may have known you earlier than you think." At the same time, she gave Gu Yi a meaningful look.
Gu Yi interrupted Rong Yu without further ado, saying firmly, "It's enough that Supervisor Rong knows she is A Qiu now."
Gu Yi never makes pointless remarks, but this sentence of his carries an emphasis.
Even with Rong Yu's abilities, she was stunned for a moment. But when she looked at A Qiu again, her eyes warmed up. A Qiu felt that the warmth in those eyes was quite similar to the way Chu Yuan Yi, An Dao Ling, and even Zhong Li Wu Yan looked at her.
Rong Yu then reached for his waist.
A Qiu had already guessed what she was going to do, and immediately knelt down and said, "Lord An has already gifted me a Heavenly Secret Token! I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Lord Rong!"
She guessed that the gift Rong Yu was going to give her upon meeting her must be the "Heavenly Secret Token". Although she didn't know why the Four Constellations of Heavenly Secret treated her so well, even to an excessive degree, as soon as they heard her name "A Qiu", she couldn't keep two "Heavenly Secret Tokens" to herself.
After all, she already possessed the "Assassination Order for Qin" which was enough to intimidate the martial arts world, and the "Junior Tutor Order" which could command the officials and people of the imperial court, and she was not a greedy person.
Rong Yu reached out, but her hand met empty air. She looked up in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief—a shock far greater than when she heard that the Qi-Trapping Powder had reappeared.
Gu Yi, however, saw through the clue and said, "I heard that not everyone in the Four Mansions has a Heavenly Secret Token, but only two, one dragon and one phoenix. If one of them was originally with Rong Jian, the other must be the one that An Gong gave to A Qiu."
A Qiu was also surprised and said, "But I know there is another person who also has one, which was also given to him by An Gong."
Rong Yu's eyes gleamed, and he asked, word by word, "Who is that?"
A Qiu replied, "It is Xiao Chang'an, the 'Green Hawk' of the Imperial Flying Phoenix Guard. His sect seems to be an old friend of Lord An, so he became Lord An's disciple to learn music after arriving at the palace. The first time I saw him, I saw that the purple bamboo flute he was holding was made by Lord An, and Lord An's Heavenly Secret Token was hanging on it."
Gu Yi also remembered it and nodded, saying, "That's right. I thought he was An Gong's disciple back then. Later I learned that he and An Gong were just master and disciple of Le Dao. But An Gong probably intended to entrust him with the next generation of the palace secret guards of the 'Four Heavenly Secrets,' because the current Flying Phoenix Guards, except for Xiao Chang'an, are not martial artists, so they inevitably have more official ambitions than chivalrous ones in their dealings."
Rong Yu said in a deep voice, "A Qiu, let me take a look at the 'Heavenly Secret Token' you hold."
A Qiu immediately took it out from his bosom and respectfully presented it with both hands.
The front of the Heavenly Secret Token is always decorated with a golden lotus seal, but this one is reversed, with a dragon engraved on the back. Although it is only a few strokes, it is simple and vivid, showing the true aura of a dragon.
Rong Yu held the token, his expression shifting between light and shadow, unpredictable.
Seeing the situation, A-Qiu immediately asked, "May I ask, Supervisor Rong, is there something amiss?"
Rong Yu sighed deeply, glanced at it one last time, and returned it to A Qiu, saying listlessly, "This is the Dragon Token from the Heavenly Secret Token. It originally belonged to me."
The Heavenly Secret Tokens are divided into primary and secondary tokens: the Dragon Token and the Phoenix Token. The Dragon Token was originally held by Rong Yuexian, the eldest of the Four Constellations, while the Phoenix Token was held by An Shihe, the second senior brother. The holder of the Phoenix Token had the responsibility to assist and support the holder of the Dragon Token.
However, the Four Constellations of Tianji have been hidden in the palace for nearly forty years, and their actual function has long been lost to the Four Constellations. They are kept in their hands only to be passed on to future generations. If the holders of these constellations enter the world again, they can use them to stir up the winds and clouds of the martial arts world.
A Qiu was stunned for a moment, completely bewildered as to why Rong Yu's token had ended up in her hands. But since Rong Yu had said so, there was no reason for him to lie. The Heavenly Secret Token was no small matter, so she immediately returned it with both hands, saying, "Since it belongs to you, senior, and you were unaware of it, please take it back!"
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