Chapter 415
Chapter 415
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 415
>Chapter Title: Son
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> Li Huowang sat in a corner of the guest room, silently watching the Great Qi folks arguing.
> To clear out the sidelines smoothly, they seemed to be debating whether to pull in some of the eunuchs from the palace.
> One side insisted that all palace eunuchs were the same, while the other argued that old connections from the palace could still be useful.
> Li Huowang’s attention wasn’t on these people. Most of it was fixed on Zhuge Yuan nearby.
> The man sat there calmly sipping tea, like a mere spectator, offering no opinion at all.
> Even with his lofty status in Great Qi, he could end the squabble with a single word.
> Li Huowang walked over and sat beside him, lowering his voice. “They’re arguing this much—aren’t you going to say something? We need a leader right now.”
> “No need. With Old Qin here, they won’t drag it out. I’d say they’ll move by tomorrow at the latest. The little emperor’s not the key—the real target is that empress dowager pulling the strings behind the curtain.”
> “Hope so. I need to step out for a bit.” Li Huowang stood and headed for the door.
> In the quiet courtyard, he didn’t linger. He left the Liang Residence outright.
> The moment Li Huowang stepped beyond the Liang Residence bounds, a faded human-shaped window lattice on the nearby wall suddenly spoke.
> “Why haven’t you made your move yet? We’re all out here waiting, sweating it out—even including the Censor-in-Chief.”
> Li Huowang frowned at the overlapping lattice. “I haven’t even figured out where Zhuge Yuan keeps that old imperial almanac. What’s the rush?”
> “Besides, jumping the gun now would just tip him off. You know how strong Zhuge Yuan is.”
> “Move fast as you can. We can’t take it slow at a time like this.”
> “I get it. Don’t worry—when Sitting Oblivion Dao goes after Zhuge Yuan again, that’s our opening. Facing them, he’ll definitely pull out that almanac.”
> “You’re so sure Sitting Oblivion Dao will strike?”
> “Bet on it. Zhuge Yuan and Sitting Oblivion Dao are locked in a death match now. They’ve ambushed him twice already—third time’s coming. Alright, I’m heading back, or Zhuge Yuan will get suspicious.”
> With that to the lattice, Li Huowang turned and hurried back to the Liang Residence without waiting for a reply.
> As the lattice fell still, in a mansion over ten miles away, a fat woman holding red-string scissors crumpled the lattice in her hand into a ball and tossed it into the brazier. She then sidled up and recounted everything to the Censor-in-Chief.
> The Censor-in-Chief’s eyes were half-lidded as two delicate beauties kneaded his legs and shoulders.
> Seeing the sandalwood incense burned out beside him, the fat woman hurried over, ground fresh powder, and relit it with care.
> As the white smoke rose anew, the Censor-in-Chief finally spoke.
> “Pass the word: release those two Sitting Oblivion Dao from the prison. Have them tell the other wind plaque and arrow plaque holders—tomorrow at the hour of the horse, we all move together to swarm the storyteller. The Supervisory Bureau wants nothing from Monitor Heaven Division except that Six Yao Celestial Almanac.”
> The fat woman seemed stunned by the order. Sitting Oblivion Dao were the Supervisory Bureau’s mortal enemies—yet the Censor-in-Chief planned to deal with them!
> “My lord, will they agree?”
> “I know these con artists—they will. You all think they’re madmen who don’t care about consequences, but they do have things they value. They just hide them well.”
> With that, the Censor-in-Chief seemed weary. He rose and shuffled toward the bed.
> Hearing footsteps, two girls in the bed—wearing only bellybands—hurriedly threw back the covers.
> Once he lay down, the girls scurried to the foot of the bed, cradling his cracked, peeling feet against their soft bosoms.
> The Censor-in-Chief sighed and laboriously rolled over. “Go. Remind me when tomorrow’s action starts. This is critical—I’ll oversee it personally.”
> “Yes, your servant obeys.”
> The fat woman snipped the red-string scissors toward the oil lamp. The room plunged into darkness. She bowed slightly toward the bed and backed out slowly.
> The next day, Li Huowang rose early, skipped breakfast, and paced the courtyard restlessly. Something felt off—like trouble was brewing.
> Great Qi people bustled about, chattering nonstop, but Li Huowang tuned them out as mere background.
> After all, Great Liang’s issues mattered infinitely more than Great Qi’s.
> But when a carriage arrived, Li Huowang’s gaze snapped to it. A eunuch stepped down.
> Fat and pale, younger than the last one he’d met, the eunuch held no gold or silver—just a string of prayer beads.
> He didn’t even enter the room. He planted himself in the courtyard and started talking.
> “Gentlemen, give it up. My godfather says he can’t help you. Pretending not to see is as far as he’ll go—he’s paid back any favors.”
> Great Qi’s national player, Qin Mengzhi, wasn’t letting palace aid slip away. “Eunuch, Lord Zhuge is here too. Think it over? Success means sharing in the dragon’s rise!”
> The eunuch glanced at Zhuge Yuan, bowed respectfully, then gave a wry smile. “Lord Qin, for us palace servants, what matters most?”
> The question stumped them. The Miaojiang woman ventured hesitantly, “Gold?”
> “Wrong! Sons! You can’t help with that—but Buddha can!”
> With that, the eunuch bared his clothes, revealing a pointed belly veined in blue.
> He stroked it excitedly, as if showing off. “Who says us eunuchs are doomed to childless extinction without our jewels? See this? Know what’s inside? My son!”
> His prayer-bead-wrapped thumb and forefinger caressed the veined belly over and over. In response, something inside pressed a blurry little handprint against the taut skin.
> The sight sent chills down Li Huowang’s spine. What was wrong with Great Qi? How had Zhengde Temple’s monks gotten this eunuch pregnant? And was that really a living person in there?
> Compared to Great Liang’s Zhengde Temple, Great Qi’s was clearly far more powerful.
> Qin Mengzhi trembled with rage at the sight. “Zhengde Temple are demon monks! Colluding with them will end badly!”
> “Whoever helps rootless folks like us carry on the line—even demon monks, or demons themselves—what of it?!”
> With that, the eunuch carefully covered his belly back up.
> (End of chapter)