Chapter 412: Son

Chapter 412: Son

Li Huowang sat in a corner of the guest chamber, silent, watching the murmurs and debates among the men from Great Qi.

To successfully clear away the rivals, they seemed to be debating whether or not to court some of the eunuchs within the palace.

One faction believed that all eunuchs were the same, while another argued that relationships forged in the palace could still be leveraged now.

Li Huowang’s attention was not focused on these men but mostly on Zhuge Yuan seated beside him.

Unflustered, he sat there sipping tea like an observer, offering no opinion.

Even with his high status in Great Qi, a single word from him would have settled this dispute.

Li Huowang walked over and sat beside him, lowering his voice to ask, “It's gotten so loud—aren’t you going to intervene? You can't have a leaderless mob at a time like this.”

“It’s fine. With Old Qin around, they won’t bicker for long. I estimate they’ll act by tomorrow at latest. The young emperor isn’t the key; it’s the Empress Dowager who rules from behind the curtain—it’s her we must focus on.”

“Let’s hope so. I’m going to the restroom.” Li Huowang stood up and headed toward the door.

Upon reaching the desolate courtyard, he didn’t linger. He simply left the Liang residence.

As soon as Li Huowang stepped beyond the compound’s boundaries, a faded figure etched into the wall—a window design resembling a human form—suddenly spoke.

"Why haven’t you acted yet? We’ve all been waiting outside, even Commissar Jiancheng."

Li Huowang frowned at the overlapping window carving and said, "I haven’t even figured out where Zhuge Yuan has hidden his old imperial calendar yet. Why the rush?"

"Moreover, acting too soon will only alert them. You know well enough how strong Zhuge Yuan is."

"Try to move faster. This is a critical moment—we can’t afford to drag our feet."

"I know. Don’t worry. The timing for the Zuo Wang Dao to once again provoke Zhuge Yuan is exactly when we strike. Facing the Zuo Wang Dao, Zhuge Yuan will definitely use his old calendar."

"You’re so certain they’ll make a move?"

"Definitely. Zhuge Yuan and the Zuo Wang Dao are at odds—they're either fish or net. They've already ambushed twice before; there will be a third. Alright, I'm leaving now—otherwise, Zhuge Yuan might get suspicious."

After speaking to the figure, Li Huowang turned without waiting for a reply and hurried back toward the Liang residence.

As the window carving fell silent again, far off in another estate, a plump woman holding a red-threaded pair of scissors crumpled the window carving into a ball and threw it into the fire. Then she leaned sideways to recount everything to Commissar Jiancheng.

Jiancheng’s eyes half-closed, he let two beautiful girls massage his legs and shoulders.

Seeing the incense stick had burned out, the plump woman quickly went to grind new powder and lit it carefully.

Just as the white smoke rose again, Jiancheng spoke.

"Send word to release those two members of the Zuo Wang Dao from the dungeon. Have them deliver a message to the other Wind Cards and Arrow Cards. At noon tomorrow, we strike together against the Storyteller. The Celestial Bureau must take nothing but the Six Days Almanac."

The plump woman appeared startled by the order. The Zuo Wang Dao had always been the mortal enemy of the Celestial Bureau. How could Jiancheng consider making a deal with them?

"Commissar, will they agree?"

"I know these liars. They will. You all think they’re reckless madmen who don’t care about consequences. But they do have things they value—just hidden well."

At that point, Jiancheng seemed tired and stood up, walking toward the bed.

Hearing footsteps, the two girls in the bed, dressed only in undergarments, quickly pulled back the covers.

Once Jiancheng lay down, the girls immediately curled up at the foot of the bed, embracing his cracked, peeling feet tightly against their soft bodies.

Jiancheng sighed heavily, turning over with effort. “Go now. When we act tomorrow, remind me. This matter is grave—I’ll oversee it personally.”

“Yes, my lady obeys,” the plump woman replied.

She took the red-threaded scissors and cut the oil lamp’s flame. The room plunged into darkness. She bowed slightly to the bed and slowly backed out.

The next day, Li Huowang woke early, skipping breakfast entirely, pacing restlessly in the courtyard. He felt something significant was about to happen today.

People came and went, chattering about matters in Great Qi. Originally, Li Huowang ignored them, treating them as background noise.

After all, compared to the affairs of Great Qi, the matters of Great Liang were infinitely more pressing.

But as a carriage arrived, Li Huowang couldn’t help but turn his gaze toward it. A eunuch stepped down from the vehicle.

This eunuch was fat and pale, younger in appearance than the portraits he'd seen. Instead of gold or silver ornaments, he held a string of Buddhist beads.

He didn’t even enter the house—he stood in the courtyard and began speaking.

"Gentlemen, stop your efforts. Father said he cannot help you. Just pretend you never saw anything. That should suffice to repay the favor."

Qin Mengzhe, the great minister of Great Qi, clearly refused to let this opportunity slip. “Eunuch, Zhuge is here too. Are you really not considering this carefully? If successful, it will be a great achievement!”

The eunuch glanced at Zhuge Yuan, then bowed respectfully, adding with a self-mocking smile, “Minister Qin, what do you think is most important to us poor servants of the palace?”

This question stunned everyone. The woman from Miaojiang hesitantly answered, “Gold?”

“No! It’s son! You cannot help with such matters—but the Buddha can!”

With that, the eunuch unbuttoned his clothes, revealing a belly covered in prominent veins.

He seemed proud and excited, saying, “Who says eunuchs are destined to have no children? Look! Do you see what’s inside? My son!”

With his hand wrapped in the Buddhist beads, he stroked his belly repeatedly. As if responding, something inside pressed faintly against the taut skin, leaving a blurry handprint.

Li Huowang’s spine chilled. What was happening in Great Qi? How did the monks of Zhengde Temple manage to make this eunuch pregnant? And was that belly truly alive?

Compared to the Zhengde Temple of Great Liang, the one in Great Qi was clearly far more powerful.

Seeing this, Qin Mengzhe trembled with anger. “Those monks of Zhengde are demons! Allowing yourselves to ally with them will bring nothing but disaster!”

“Who else can help us, rootless people, carry on our lineage? Even if they are demons, what difference does it make?!”

Saying this, the eunuch carefully wrapped his belly in cloth.

(End of Chapter)