Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 365 Nighttime Infiltration of the Palace, Secret Collusion

Under the cover of night, the imperial city resembled a terrifying behemoth, lying prostrate on the earth, overlooking all living beings.

Inside the imperial city, the imperial guards, dressed in neat armor, patrolled back and forth, completely unaware that a dark shadow had swept past.

The pitch-black night provided it with the best cover.

The key to this dark figure remaining undetected was its extremely fast leaping speed and its nimble, silent movements.

Although there are many people in the world who possess such lightness skills, there are very few who are in the capital at this moment and have a reason to sneak into the imperial city at night.

At this moment, the dark figure was none other than Lu Xiaofeng, who had donned a night-clothes!

He's someone who can't sit still.

Once Li Guishou's treatment had completed the first stage, and there was no longer a need for him to stay on the small boat all the time, the two returned to the capital.

However, rumors still circulate in the capital today.

In the imperial court, there was still no new progress in the bribery case of the Iron-Blooded Marquis.

It's as if the high-ranking officials in the court and the emperor sitting on the throne have completely ignored the rumors circulating among the people.

Theoretically speaking, it is absurd to expect the emperor to hear rumors from the common people and then use those rumors to handle a major court case.

In reality, these so-called rumors from the people are not spontaneous; they are manipulated by someone behind the scenes.

Furthermore, these people behind the scenes were all capable of delivering these rumors to the emperor and having him carefully consider and deal with them.

Even so, the emperor still did nothing.

This led to the widespread dissemination of the rumor that "the emperor wanted to take the opportunity to kill the Iron-Blooded Marquis," which gained considerable acceptance among the people.

As a result, no one dared to associate with Lu Xiaofeng anymore.

After a few days, Lu Xiaofeng was so bored that he began to investigate the matter of Black Stone.

However, he is currently in the capital, and no one dares to contact him. It is obviously impossible for him to find out anything on his own.

After much deliberation, Lu Xiaofeng finally decided to take the risk and go into the palace to investigate.

Although Li Xunhuan and Jiang Asheng both believed that the Black Stone organization had nothing to do with Cao Zhengchun.

But this is just an analysis.

Furthermore, even if it has nothing to do with Cao Zhengchun, the Black Stone organization is capable of assassinating court officials, entrenched in the capital, well-informed, and even needs the remains of Rama to fill in the gaps. It is highly likely that they are palace eunuchs.

Therefore, this act of sneaking into the palace at night came about.

He wasn't just searching aimlessly. According to Jiang Asheng, the Black Stone organization had three powerful members.

One is the leader of Blackrock, King Wheel, who wields a Wheel Sword and is the strongest, possessing the cultivation of a Grandmaster.

The second is a master of hidden weapons, using flying needles as his weapon. He has excellent lightness skills, but only has the cultivation level of the innate stage.

Finally, there's the guy who wields two swords. He's skilled in magic tricks, and his swordsmanship is extremely dexterous; he's also a natural-born expert.

To be able to lead the entire Black Stone organization to seize Rama's remains, either the leader is a eunuch, or all three of them are.

Based on this information, Lu Xiaofeng decided to first find someone in the palace who had reached the level of a Grandmaster in cultivation and was also a eunuch.

The imperial palace is home to many skilled martial artists.

The largest number of the strongest were the imperial guards and palace experts, but after the incident at the Forbidden City, the emperor took the opportunity to organize and incorporate them.

Although there are many experts, none of them are eunuchs.

Secondly, there is the Imperial Guard, which also has many skilled fighters.

However, they were not eunuchs.

Eunuchs were servants in the imperial palace, and most of them did not have the opportunity to learn martial arts. Only a very few were able to inherit martial arts skills.

Despite its imposing appearance, the Eastern Depot actually had a very small number of employees.

Lu Xiaofeng's figure swept across various parts of the palace.

He did not fully display his abilities; except when he was evading the Imperial Guard patrols, he would deliberately expose a slight weakness.

This was especially true when passing by the residences of the eunuchs.

Even so, only a master-level expert could possibly detect the flaws he revealed.

Below the level of Grandmaster, unless one is born with a superior sense of perception, one will inevitably fail to detect Lu Xiaofeng.

They hoped that this fishing tactic would lure out any powerful masters who might be hiding among the eunuchs.

Of course, he dared not go deep into the palace.

If I really go, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave.

Even if he caused a disturbance by simply walking around the edge of the palace, he could quickly escape.

However, under such numerous constraints, the success rate of the matter is predictably low.

Almost nothing!

In fact, Lu Xiaofeng himself knew that the probability of this approach succeeding was extremely low.

But he was bored.

Tonight's actions, in essence, are actually about relieving this boredom.

Whether he succeeds or not is of no concern to him.

What Lu Xiaofeng didn't know was that if Zhou Ming hadn't ordered the entire Black Stone to go to the Song Kingdom a few days earlier, his operation this time might have actually succeeded.

As the leader of the Black Stone, King Chakravartin, despite possessing the cultivation of a Grandmaster, had always concealed his strength and held a very low position in the palace, serving only as an old eunuch responsible for delivering documents.

Because of his low status, he lived in a location that was indeed on the edge of the palace.

Therefore, Lu Xiaofeng's action, which theoretically had an extremely low success rate, actually stumbled upon King Yama's weakness by sheer chance.

With a bit of luck as the protagonist, he might actually be able to find King Yama in this way.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing.

King Yama's public identity is that he has retired and left the imperial city.

With several days' delay, it was completely impossible for Lu Xiaofeng to find King Yama in the palace.

Lu Xiaofeng was naturally unaware of these matters.

He swung along until he arrived at Dong'anmen, which was near the location of the Eastern Depot.

With Cao Zhengchun in charge, Lu Xiaofeng dared not trespass.

Especially for the sake of convenience, he didn't bring the Thunderclap Sword tonight. Without his strongest combat force, he was even more wary.

He immediately turned around and prepared to leave.

Then a figure emerged from the Eastern Depot.

This wouldn't have been a problem, but Lu Xiaofeng noticed that the figure was walking out of the palace.

"Iron Claw Flying Eagle? What is he doing leaving the palace at this time?" Iron Claw Flying Eagle, the head of the Eastern Depot, was undoubtedly a eunuch as well.

But why go out of the palace in the middle of the night instead of going back to rest or staying at the Eastern Depot? Could it be that they have some kind of mission?
Lu Xiaofeng, who was already bored, simply followed them.

The Iron Claw Flying Eagle, at the Innate Realm, clearly couldn't detect Lu Xiaofeng at all.

The eagle flew swiftly and soon arrived at an abandoned house.

It's strange that in the capital, a place where land is incredibly valuable, there would be abandoned residential houses. If it were on the outskirts of the capital, it wouldn't be so unusual, but this place is not far from the palace; while not in the heart of the city, it's still a bustling area, which makes it rather odd.

This seemingly illogical thing actually has a reasonable explanation behind it.

The reason is simple: someone is deliberately maintaining this so-called abandoned existence to make it easier for them to do certain things.

For example, a secret meeting.

"Flying Eagle greets the Chief Steward!"

When Iron Claw Eagle entered the house, a figure dressed in a black robe was already standing there, and he quickly bowed.

The man in black robes turned around, revealing his face; it was none other than Liu Xi.

"You haven't been discovered along the way, have you?"

"Don't worry, Chief Steward. I'm a veteran of the Eastern Depot, and I've completed countless secret missions. If it were that easy to be discovered, I wouldn't be in that high-ranking position!"

Iron Claw Eagle spoke with a hint of pride, but then his tone turned somber: "Unfortunately..."

Liu Xi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Cao Zhengchun doesn't know how to use people, and he's cold-hearted and doesn't care about old friendships. You've followed him for so many years and done so much. Even if you haven't made any great contributions, you've still put in a lot of hard work. And he dismissed you from your post just because of such a trivial matter!"
I can't stand by and watch this kind of thing happen. Don't worry, if I were in charge of the Eastern Depot, I would not only reinstate you to your original position, but I wouldn't hesitate to promote you further!

Iron Claw Eagle quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I am willing to serve you, General Manager!"

It turns out that recently, rumors have been circulating among the people that support Iron-Blooded Marquis, while the situation of the Eastern Depot is not so good.

All these changes, in particular, originated from the Western Regions and from the results of Lu Xiaofeng and others' investigation.

This was their success, but it was a failure for Liu Xi and Iron Claw Eagle's operation.

Especially the Iron Claw Eagle!
Liu Xi was one of the people sent to provide support later, while Iron Claw Eagle was the person in charge of the whole thing from beginning to end.

Iron Claw Eagle is undoubtedly responsible for the failure of this mission.

The current dire situation has fueled Cao Zhengchun's anger, so he decided to strip Iron Claw Flying Eagle of all his power.

Now, Iron Claw Flying Eagle is just an ordinary eunuch in the Eastern Depot.

Although everyone knows that Iron Claw Eagle cannot remain in this position forever, once this matter is over and Cao Zhengchun's anger subsides, he will likely be reinstated.

But Iron Claw Eagle himself couldn't get over it.

Secretly, he then sought refuge with Liu Xi.

Liu Xi was ambitious and never wanted to be second to anyone. He always wanted to usurp Cao Zhengchun's power and seize Cao Zhengchun's position.

It was even successful at one point.

Unfortunately, Cao Zhengchun had cultivated his position in the palace for many years, and his position was so secure that even the emperor could not remove him.

Power is not top-down, but bottom-up.

Even though Cao Zhengchun was demoted to a ninth-rank eunuch, the entire Eastern Depot listened to him and not Liu Xi, which meant that Cao Zhengchun still controlled the entire Eastern Depot and held power!

"What has Cao Zhengchun done today?"

"I have been dismissed from my post and can no longer follow Cao Zhengchun. I heard that he spent another hour in the prison today, apparently torturing Zhu Wushi."

"Hmph! That's all the tricks he has!"

Liu Xi sneered and said, "Today His Majesty once again lost his temper, reprimanding Cao Zhengchun and ordering him to close the case as soon as possible. There is a deeper meaning behind this."

Iron Claw Eagle cautiously asked, "Steward, is it true, as the rumors in the capital say, that His Majesty intends to kill Zhu Wushi this time?"

"This isn't the first or second time His Majesty has wanted to kill Zhu Wushi."

Liu Xi sneered: "Those high-ranking officials in the court, adorned in crimson and purple robes, have always looked down on us eunuchs, constantly calling us the eunuch faction. Little do they know, no matter how much power we eunuchs wield, we are ultimately just eunuchs."

Some, however, are relatives of the emperor, descendants of the Zhu family, and even enjoy immense prestige among the common people. Who knows, at some point, they might sit on that dragon throne!

With such a person in existence, even His Majesty cannot sleep soundly at night; how could he not harbor murderous intent?

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Zhu Wushi was also unlucky. He fought Cao Zhengchun for so many years without revealing any flaws, but one after another, his adopted sons and daughters got into trouble."

If it weren't for them, it would have been truly difficult for His Majesty and Cao Zhengchun to defeat Zhu Wushi. It was precisely because Zhu Wushi gradually lost power that the Eastern Depot was able to persuade the Wan family to betray him.

This was originally a wonderful thing, but unfortunately Cao Zhengchun completely botched it!

Upon hearing this, Iron Claw Flying Eagle's heart trembled, and he said in a panic, "Steward, Your Majesty... Your Majesty wouldn't know about this, would you? Was it me who messed it up?"

Liu Xi chuckled and said, "You're so clever, knowing to come to me in time. How could I let you die like this?"

Iron Claw Eagle hurriedly said, "Thank you so much, Steward, for saving my life!"

"Knowing to express gratitude shows you have a conscience."

Liu Xi said with a smile, "You are just an ordinary eunuch now, unable to serve Cao Zhengchun. Even if we wanted you to do something, you couldn't. The most important thing right now is to get you out of this situation, and ideally, to restore you to your original position and return to Cao Zhengchun's side."

What are your thoughts on this?

Iron Claw Eagle's face lit up with joy: "With the help of the steward, I will surely be able to regain my original position and serve the steward better."

"Stop with the flattery. Just tell me what you can do, and I'll help you with anything I can!"

Iron Claw Flying Eagle thought for a moment and said, "I think Cao Zhengchun goes to the prison every day to torture Zhu Wushi, but Zhu Wushi keeps his mouth shut and doesn't dare to say anything."

I imagine that Zhu Wushi paid a heavy price for his adopted sons and daughters, showing deep affection for them. If we could capture them and use them to blackmail Zhu Wushi, it might be useful.

Those few men also knew things were going badly and were hiding very well. If the steward could help me find them, I could arrest them, and Cao Zhengchun would be overjoyed and reinstate me to my original position.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi angrily retorted, "If you succeed in this matter, what if Cao Zhengchun tortures him to extract evidence and gets rid of Zhu Wushi?"

Iron Claw Flying Eagle hurriedly said, "Sir, please calm down. It was my foolishness that I did not consider this aspect. But right now, Cao Zhengchun is only worried about this matter, and I cannot think of any other way to restore him to his original position for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi had to admit that Iron Claw Flying Eagle's words made sense.

"Alright, you go back first, I'll think about it some more."

"This is."

The two then left in different directions.

Ironically, despite choosing different directions, they both ended up heading towards the palace.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Liu Xi is the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace, and Iron Claw Flying Eagle is also a eunuch. They usually live in the Imperial Palace, so naturally they should go back to the Imperial Palace now.

It's rather comical that these two people from the palace are meeting in secret outside the palace.

Lu Xiaofeng overheard the whole thing from outside and thoroughly enjoyed the gossip.

However, neither of these two people could possibly be connected to Black Stone. Their internal power struggle with Cao Zhengchun within the Eastern Depot was their own affair and had nothing to do with Lu Xiaofeng.

After a night of revelry and having gotten a piece of gossip, Lu Xiaofeng returned to the inn satisfied and told Li Xunhuan about it as if it were a joke.

(End of this chapter)