PQE Chapter 2

As they got closer, they could smell the dry tobacco on Li Xiangying, which was quite pungent. 

Tobacco was popular in the previous Handan dynasty, and the founding emperor of this dynasty, Jin Taizong, also used it in his spare time. 

Li Xiangying entered the palace before Jin Taizong’s death. Although he was a eunuch from the previous dynasty, he didn’t mix very well, so he put these things on his body to show his seniority. Of course, tobacco also has good and bad, Li Xiangying does not use imported “Danbagu”, nor the “Xiao Lanhua” popular among the literati of the Handan Dynasty, but the tobacco he made himself, which was irrigated with cow dung and donkey dung, commonly known as dry tobacco, and the smell was naturally unpleasant.

Li Xiangying saw Fu Chen’s expression gradually becoming respectful, knowing that he was smelling the scent on him and aware that he was a “veteran of the previous dynasty”. He was very pleased with the understanding of this little eunuch. When he saw Fu Chen’s face that could be pinched to produce water, he felt a little reluctant. However, this reluctance seemed too cheap in the harem, and he forgot it in a flash. What mattered was to do business.

The palace does not give the right to refuse to the people, Fu Chen nodded should be, and routinely handed over some filial piety silver, called a few of his more clever servants to go with him.

After calling out to the people, Li Xiangying didn’t intend to explain and just walked ahead at a very fast pace. They also had to walk and run to catch up with him.

The clouds covered the crescent moon, and the sky seemed to be swallowed by all the light of the roaring beast, and the evening wind blowing from afar was like a ghost howling.

Passing through Changchun Gate is the harem. On weekdays, when Fu Chen is on duty, his range of activities is limited to the fixed areas within his responsibilities. If he wanders off somewhere else, he will be breaking the rules, and if caught, he will be punished with a cane according to palace rules. The harem at night is not as brightly lit as in the TV dramas of his previous life. In the era when there was only candlelight, the light could only illuminate a few inches at night, and although he could see things, the effect was much worse.

The night wind came, the palace lamp creaked in front of the swing, even in the early summer Fu Chen still inexplicably shivered, eyelids twitched like a tremor, said the harem of the place heavy yin is not unfounded.

On one side just off the difference of Chen Zuoren yawned, see Fu Chen’s face is a bit wrong. He was not as heartless as he looked, so he nudged Fu Chen with his elbow.

Fu Chen silently shook his head, he could not tell Chen Zuoren, his doubts and bad premonition.

Just now, he observed along the way that the young eunuchs of the Li faction behind Li Xiangying had been replaced. The temporary replacements were all unfamiliar, and they should have just entered the palace not long ago. Li Xiangying’s expression was not right either. He was always looking back and forth, as if he was worried about being seen by someone.

All these signs made him have to worry. They arrived in front of a palace and saw a bunch of leeks, also known as peony, outside the palace. Some tribute varieties, such as Zui Yan Hong and Chan Feng Jiao, were also seen. Fu Chen knew that this was the Weiyang Palace where Concubine Li was. From outside, he could hear the sounds of cursing and breaking porcelain, mixed with the sobbing of women. The strange thing was that there was not even a guard or eunuch or maid serving inside or outside the palace.

All the young eunuchs hesitated. Even the dullest one knew that there would be no good consequences if they went in at this time.

Moreover, the voice that was scolding people was a man’s. Which man in the harem could roar like this openly? It had to be the emperor.

“Why are you all stopping? Why don’t you all go in? Are you waiting for us to invite you?” Li Xiangying’s shrill voice was like a rooster whose tail was stepped on. “Now is your chance to show off in front of the emperor. If you miss this opportunity, when do you think you can see him again?”

Fu Chen has connected the speculations together. The reason why there were no servants was probably because the emperor asked everyone to get off. Facing the emperor’s wrath, everyone naturally wished they could grow wings and leave the spot. Who would go up and seek death on their own?

But the emperor could not be without people to serve him, and it was not known who ordered Li Xiangying to find this group of people to take over.

Fu Chen vaguely guessed that the reason why they were chosen might have something to do with him. He had been trying to build relationships with the palace since last year, using the money and connections he had accumulated over the years, thinking of entering the Weiyang Palace as a eunuch and then looking for another way out. But when he was about to succeed, he encountered this incident today.

He thought his actions were still hidden, and who would pay attention to such a small person, whether intentional or unintentional, the people behind Li Xiangying can be said to kill without seeing blood.

Those few temporary dispatch to come to the small eunuchs promised, then a trembling body walked in.

Chen Zuoren couldn’t help his temper and glared at Li Xiangying with a look full of accusation and resentment. Obviously, he also realized that Master Li was just using them as targets and he would never go in to confess his crime.

“Oh, you’re quite brave, kid? If you glare at me again, I’ll dig out your eyeballs and eat them as snacks!” Li Xiangying threw his whisk and pointed at the indignant Chen Zuoren.

“You old bastard, bah!” Chen Zuoren spat on Li Xiangying’s face.

Fu Chen was too late to stop them, and had to drag them away with all his strength. Behind him, he could hear Li Xiangying snorting in anger. He seemed to have found something fun, and looked at the two people walking away with deep meaning in his eyes, “Boy, pray that you don’t fall into our hands, sizzle.”

That sinister voice makes people think of snakes, the meaning in the words seems to be sticky on the body and can not shake off.

Fu Chen didn’t have time to talk about Chen Zuoren or think about what to do if he offended Li Xiangying. He dragged everyone into the palace and made them kneel down. In the brightly lit room, there were eunuchs and palace maids kneeling on the ground, some of whom were assigned to the palace, and some of whom were the ones who came in.

Everyone huddled together like quails, some were still crying but gritting their teeth, not daring to make the slightest sound.

The quick glance just now was enough to shock Fu Chen. He didn’t expect to see such a scene. It was worse than he expected.

Concubine Li was a beautiful woman, with a slender figure, red lips, white teeth, and a slender body. She had a kind of willow-like charm in the south of the Yangtze River, especially when she smiled, her eyes were like autumn water, and her temperament alone could rank among the best in this harem full of beauties. But at this moment, she was half-kneeling on the ground with disheveled hair, but even in such an embarrassing state, she still had a peerless elegance. Not far from her was a naked strong man, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive. Under his body was a pillar that was erected to the sky, and there was turbid white liquid on it.

It goes without saying what happened. Something that an ordinary man cannot bear is a hundred times more humiliating when it happens to an emperor.

No wonder everyone was driven out. Fu Chen thought that no matter how foolish an emperor was, he would not let too many people know about this matter, which would be a lifelong shame. Even if they were willing to swear an oath not to spread it, what in the world could be more trustworthy than the dead?

He just thought that Li Xiangying was planning to bring in some cannon fodder, but when the emperor and Concubine Li showed up, he knew it was more than just a beating. Li Xiangying wanted them to be scapegoats!

Their appearance diverted the emperor’s anger. When he had vented his anger, how could he still remember Li Xiangying and others?

Fu Chen clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms without feeling anything. He forced himself to calm down.

The smell in the air was not pleasant, a mixture of musk, incense, blood… and a faint scent.

Fu Chen felt like he had smelled this scent somewhere before…

where is it?

Concubine Li supported herself on the ground with her elbows and moved in front of the emperor. She held the emperor’s boots with her creamy hands and said with a weak breath, “I… am wronged…”

The emperor’s face trembled, he sneered, and kicked Concubine Li away, “You shameless bitch, you deserve to die!”

Emperor Cheng of Jin was a little fat. Perhaps he had some ambitions in his early years and wanted to create brilliant military achievements like Emperor Taizong of Jin and revive his father’s glory. However, he was actually mediocre in ability. It has been fifteen years since he ascended the throne, but he has not achieved much and he favors flatterers. Alcohol and sex almost drained his body, let alone he was still looking for elixirs to pray for immortality.

Even so, his deterrent power has not diminished in the slightest as he has been on the throne for so long.

Concubine Li was kicked to the corner of the table and bumped into a young man who had been kneeling there for who knows how long, about fourteen or fifteen years old. The silver mask on half of the boy’s face was knocked off, revealing that half of his face was covered with tumors. There were pus-like tumors on the uneven skin, and black blood vessels as fine as spider webs were hidden under the skin, like a ghost, while the other half was extremely handsome, like a banished immortal. The two extremes, only the pair of narrow and beautiful eyes were very attractive, with an extreme gloom and forbearance.

He was the second child of Concubine Li and the seventh among all the princes of Emperor Cheng of Jin. His name was Shao Huachi. It was said that half of his face was poisoned when Concubine Li was pregnant, and it was passed on to the seventh prince who was still in her belly. When he was born, his whole body was blue and purple, and he was as ugly as a monster. Later, the imperial physicians tried their best to force the poison to concentrate in one place, and people in the palace privately called him “ghost man”.

Half human, half ghost, isn’t that appropriate?

At that moment, the boy’s black eyes under his long eyelashes swept towards Fu Chen who was looking up, and their eyes collided in the air.

Amidst the crowd of eunuchs and palace maids, it shot straight at him, captivating his soul.

Fu Chen lowered his head almost instantly. The boy’s gaze was too much to look at. He had been to Tibet before, and the wolves there also had a posture that could shock people’s souls, fierce, cruel, and… inviolable.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down!” A first-class palace maid dressed as a maid saw Concubine Li being kicked out by the emperor. With such a deep bond between master and servant, she rushed over without a second thought, crawled over on her knees, and kowtowed continuously.

However, the furious emperor pulled out the sword of the guard beside him, a white light flashed, and there was a “click” sound.

The head of the woman who was still alive just now rolled on the ground, and the blood spurting out from the broken part splashed all over the place, including Fu Chen’s face, but he did not move and did not dare to wipe it off.

The palace maid’s body fell down after several breaths, and she even twitched on the ground, like a living thing.

The room was as silent as a cicada, and the air seemed to be stagnant. Even the sobbing just now was silent, and Fu Chen could even hear the chattering teeth of the person next to him.

The head rolled a little on the ground and then stopped, with the eyes facing Fu Chen.

It is said that the eyes after death can best reflect the strongest emotions in a person’s life. Those eyes seem to be able to penetrate his soul and reach the depths, which contain disbelief, fear and resentment.

The strong emotions almost overwhelmed Fu Chen’s sanity.

The dull pain from the nails piercing into his palms reminded Fu Chen that he couldn’t faint, no matter how nauseous or wanting to vomit he felt.

He doesn’t want to miss tomorrow’s sun.