Ye Xin usually worked hard to make arrangements in various palaces, and he took the risk of changing his godfather to Li Xiangying. He was not short of tricks and schemes. If Li Xiangying had not been in trouble, he might have continued to nag Fu Chen. The root cause was that Fu Chen served Mu Ruida instead of him, which really made him very upset, but the real reason why he wanted to suppress the other party was that he was afraid of Fu Chen.

Ye Xin and Fu Chen entered the palace in the same year. Perhaps no one would pay attention to a little eunuch, but Ye Xin carefully observed every potential rival. For a little eunuch, being scolded, beaten, and reprimanded was commonplace. Almost everyone would complain, suffer, and wail, speaking ill of others behind their backs to vent their dissatisfaction. 

Only Fu Chen, no matter what he encountered, always maintained a respectful and humble expression, never criticizing anyone. Ye Xin couldn’t describe the feeling, but he felt that Fu Chen was very deep and dangerous.

Ye Xin was now heading to Li Xiangying’s courtyard. A well-mixed chief eunuch could have his own separate courtyard in the Supervisory Courtyard, which was why Ye Xin chose Li Xiangying. Mu Ruida couldn’t reach this level, but recently, Li Xiangying seemed possessed, which worried Ye Xin greatly. 

For the sake of everything now, he absolutely couldn’t let anything happen to Li Xiangying! When he arrived, many people were already standing outside, all with fearful expressions. There were other managing eunuchs, but no one dared to approach.

He pushed through the crowd and was about to step in when he stopped.

For the past month, Li Xiangying’s condition had been very bad, which was obvious to everyone. He seemed to be haunted by something, muttering to himself all day, his mind wandering. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he would make unreasonable demands, causing complaints in the Supervisory Courtyard.

Under the light of the palace lanterns, the unnaturally thin Li Xiangying curled up in a corner of the courtyard, trembling and holding his head. His eyes bulged, his gaze vacant, completely unaware of his surroundings. He couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion. 

Tears fell unconsciously, clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he cried out in terror, “Don’t come near, I didn’t kill you, it wasn’t me!”

He was very thin, and the mental pressure made him look more like a ghost than a ghost. Extreme fear made his breathing rapid, his brain deprived of oxygen, his vision blurred, looking like he could faint at any moment.

Around him, clusters of blue-green flames floated in the air, moving up and down with his movements, like souls with their own consciousness. No one dared to approach, but they couldn’t ignore Li Xiangying either, so they stood far away, whispering that he had committed too many sins. Some eunuchs who couldn’t stand it went to call the person in charge.

Fu Chen and others had just come out of the dining hall and ran over because of the commotion. They met Aunt Mei and others who had rushed over. At this time, there were not many people outside the gate of Li Xiangying’s yard. Even the usually arrogant Ye Xin was trembling on the ground, pointing at Li Xiangying, crawling out of the courtyard in fear.

The blue-green flames suddenly appeared at night. How could they not be scary in ancient times when people believed in ghosts and gods.

In ancient times, it was mostly called Yin Fire or Ghost Fire, and in modern times it is called Phosphorus Fire.

At this moment, Li Xiangying was completely deranged. Whether he walked or talked, the ghost fire followed him, fitting the saying “the ghost lingers.” In the dark night, this scene alone could scare most people to death.

Li Xiangying walked fast, and the ghost fire followed fast. When he stopped, the ghost fire stopped. He panted heavily, his face covered in snot and tears, a hot liquid dripping from his crotch, making a puddle on the ground. His miserable appearance no longer showed any of his usual majesty.

In both the current and previous dynasties, burials were practiced. After a person was buried, the body would gradually decompose. Human bones contain a lot of phosphorus, and through chemical reactions with alkali, a gas called phosphine is produced. It has a low ignition point and can spontaneously ignite in high summer temperatures. This gas is very light and can be moved by talking or walking, making it look like “ghosts follow people.”

Achieving this wasn’t easy. It took a whole month of preparation. Just changing the soil in the courtyard to the required type took many channels. The plan was detailed, waiting patiently, step by step leading Li Xiangying into the trap.

The chief eunuch arrived, and all the idle people were cleared out. Fu Chen lowered his eyelids, hiding the hatred and killing intent in his eyes.

The only one who realized this might not be a vengeful spirit was Aunt Mei, who looked at Fu Chen with both fear and suspicion.

When Fu Chen escorted Aunt Mei out of the Supervisory Courtyard, she suddenly turned and solemnly asked Fu Chen, “Was it you?”

“The ghost is lingering around to claim your life.” Fu Chen answered the question irrelevantly, staring quietly at the extremely beautiful face of the woman opposite him.

Tears welled up in Mei Jue’s eyes. She covered her face, swallowing her sobs, and looked around.

Everyone was too scared to go out because of today’s events, fearing the vengeful spirits. With no one around, she suddenly knelt before Fu Chen, performing a grand ceremony, her trembling body showing her excitement.

She wasn’t familiar with Chen Zuoren, he was impulsive and playful, yet remembered kindness. Aunt Mei often mended clothes and shoes for the little eunuchs who had no one to care for them. Last winter, Aunt Mei almost caught the emperor’s eye, but Chen Zuoren “accidentally” spilled a basin of coal, saving her from disaster. Mei Jue always remembered this kindness and took special care of Chen Zuoren afterward.

Like everyone else, she knew she couldn’t avenge him and could only numb her heart with time.

But Fu Chen gave her a glimmer of hope, even if it was faint. It made her, who was used to life and death, want to do something different to honor the souls of the deceased. She just didn’t want to be numb anymore!

Fu Chen didn’t stop her because he knew how stubborn this woman was.

“What else do you need?” Unlike before when Fu Chen secretly asked for help, this time Mei Jue took the initiative, feeling this wasn’t the end.

“I need some wolfsbane.” Fu Chen didn’t hide it. His connections were far inferior to Aunt Mei, who had been in the palace for many years.

She could get things without arousing suspicion, but he couldn’t.

Fu Chen didn’t explain, and Aunt Mei seemed to understand. She looked deeply at Fu Chen’s lower body, an impolite gaze. In modern times, it would be considered bold, let alone in this era of strict propriety. Her focused and serious look almost made Fu Chen think she had other thoughts about him. After a long sigh, she seemed regretful, “Fu Chen, if you weren’t… what a remarkable person you would be.”

After asking for aconite, Fu Chen sent Aunt Mei away and returned to the Supervisory Courtyard.

Wolfsbane, with its beautiful flowers, is a common plant often used to beautify streets in modern times. The imperial garden here had it, but few knew its roots contained neurotoxins. Poisoning caused dizziness, vomiting, gradual limb paralysis, and symptoms like hysteria, making it hard for even gods to save the person, leading to a quiet death.

As for how to poison Li Xiangying, the smoking pipe was the best medium. The more nervous he was, the more he would use tobacco to numb his nerves. With his current unstable mood, he might increase the amount of tobacco. The only thing Fu Chen had to do was erase all evidence afterward.

From a month of psychological hints, nighttime ghost tricks, to the appearance of ghost fire, and finally dying as a vengeful spirit, every step was meticulously planned.

Revenge is never just talk.

That night, the people in Fu Chen’s room in the Supervisory Courtyard were inexplicably excited. Many touched Chen Zuoren’s bed, muttering “in heaven.”

Since Chen Zuoren left, no one had slept in his bed, a silent agreement among everyone, a way to mourn. After more than a month of repression, it finally felt like a release today. Everyone couldn’t hide their joy, embodying the saying, “Knowing Li Xiangying is not doing well, we are relieved.”

Late that night, Wang Fugui put his arm around Fu Chen’s shoulder, unable to hide his emotion, “I can finally be at ease and make a vow with Xiao Yang.”

A month ago, Wang Fugui and Xiao Yang wanted to hold a ceremony to confirm their relationship, but it was postponed due to the events involving Chen Zuoren and others.

Now that Li Xiangying was suffering, the couple was willing to proceed with the delayed ceremony.

The next day was the inspection day. Previously, the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted inspections twice a year, but many palace people had their ways to avoid it through bribery. Later, they were found out by the higher-ups, and now no one dares to do such a thing. The reason for wanting to avoid inspection is that they don’t want to be humiliated by the inspection again. Eunuchs are also human beings, and it is a thousand times more uncomfortable for them to be seen without their life force than for ordinary men.

So when Fu Chen saw Mo Hua waiting for him outside the Supervisory Courtyard early in the morning, he vaguely guessed her purpose.

“Little Eunuch Fu, the Master ordered me to convey that if you feel uncomfortable, you can avoid it.” Mo Hua said gently, but his eyes were firm, as if he was sure that Fu Chen would agree. No eunuch would like this day every six months.

If you promise to do anything, you have to pay the corresponding price, but Fu Chen feels that there are some prices that he cannot afford.

After bowing, Fu Chen lowered his thick, butterfly-like eyelashes and said, “Thank you, Miss Mohua. Please thank the imperial consort for her kindness. I am not uncomfortable.”

Mo Hua obviously did not expect to be rejected. Her face looked a little ugly. She did not curse, but her eyes clearly showed that he did not know what was good for him. He nodded politely and left.

The fact that Concubine De could stand firm in the harem for more than ten years was inseparable from her low-key style. The maids trained by this woman also knew how to advance and retreat. Even though Fu Chen was furious, he refused without hesitation and did not say anything bad. Her status was much higher than that of Fu Chen, who had no rank now. She had the final say even if she was beaten with a stick. This also showed how well she was cultivated. It was precisely because of this that Fu Chen was more frightened and cautious, and never dared to underestimate Concubine De.

Concubine De has been helping him silently, whether it is food boxes or avoiding inspections, which is what he needs most at the moment. This kind of behavior is hard for eunuchs, even ordinary men will be tempted. Such a woman is the real Concubine De. The longer she lives in the palace, the more cautious and meticulous she becomes. Often, such women who do not show off are the most terrifying.

Of course he knew that it was impossible for Concubine De to really fall in love with him after just one look at him. That was not Concubine De’s character. It could only be said that the position of her first love, White Moonlight, was too high in Concubine De’s heart, so high that even a substitute was worth her spending so much time on.

The place for inspection and purification is the same place, both in the Sidao Gate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also knew that this was not a good thing, so they asked people to wait outside in batches and then let them in one by one.

When Fu Chen went in, there were only two eunuchs in charge of recording, one eunuch in charge, and two guards. Five in total, which seemed enough.

The eunuch in charge is Liu Zong, who, like An Zhonghai, is one of the six eunuchs in charge. He is a strict person and mainly handles the affairs of the Imperial Household Department. Mu Ruida, the head of Fu Chen and others, was promoted because of Liu Zong’s appreciation. He is like the person he appreciates.

Liu Zong didn’t even look at Fu Chen. He looked at the record book in his hand and pointed to the bamboo couch behind him. “Fu Chen, right? Take off your clothes and get on.”

Fu Chen agreed, and the others were still there and didn’t come over. Fu Chen reached for his belt.

Suddenly, his face turned pale, he squatted on the ground with an expression of pain, gasping for breath, and it seemed that he was in great pain.

Liu Zong was startled, and several others came over as well.

“What’s going on here?”

Fu Chen covered his stomach, frowned, his lips slightly pale, and raised his head slowly, “this slave…”

At first glance, those eyes were nothing special, but they were so deep as if to suck people in. Fu Chen’s eyeballs gradually turned from black to grayish white, as if sprinkled with a layer of silver frost, dazzlingly beautiful. This was the only golden finger he had after traveling through time, an ability so small that it was almost negligible: hypnosis.

In modern times, he knows some simple hypnosis techniques, and can hypnotize patients through language, environment, body movements, etc., but hypnosis takes time, and the effect of hypnosis varies greatly depending on the individual. 

It can be said that hypnotists do exist in the real world, but they are very rare, and their functions and effects are definitely not as mysterious as those in the outside world or in film and television dramas. If he just brought his abilities from his previous life intact, he would probably be surrounded when he knocked down a eunuch. 

Fortunately, this ability deviated slightly after crossing over. Now he can hypnotize less than ten people at a time, with the restriction that it can only be used once a month. He gave the opportunity last month to Chen Zuoren, allowing him to leave in ignorance and pain.

Because the five people were close to each other and were all paying attention to Fu Chen, it could be said that Fu Chen had created the right time, place and people for himself. Their eyes became more and more blurred, almost dull.

“Go over there and take off your clothes yourself.” Fu Chen looked at them coldly, pointed at a eunuch casually, and repeated what Liu Zong had just said.

Sure enough, the young eunuch took off his pants without any hesitation…