You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

The next day, the sky remained overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, as if they might unleash an even fiercer blizzard at any moment.

The chill penetrated to the bone; even the remaining snow in the shady corners of the palace walls froze into hard ice shells.

Liu Gonggong's efficiency exceeded Lu Zuo's expectations.

Before noon, he led an old eunuch with white hair and beard, a hunched back, wearing faded old eunuch clothes, and with cloudy, evasive eyes, to the side room of the imperial study without making a sound.

"Your Majesty... Your servant Chen San kowtows to Your Majesty..."

As soon as Eunuch Chen entered the warm pavilion, he felt the warmth that was different from his dilapidated house and the omnipresent oppressive aura. His legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice trembling violently with fear.

In his entire life, the highest official he had ever met was the head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department. He never imagined that one day he would be able to meet the emperor.

Moreover, it was done in such a private and secretive way.

"Rise and speak, and be offered a seat."

Lu Zuo spoke calmly, trying his best to conceal his aura so as not to frighten the timid old eunuch.

Chen San dared not sit down; he merely straightened up slightly while kneeling, his head bowed low, as if he wanted to shrink into his collar.

"Chen San, I've heard that the abandoned garden you're guarding has been quite unsettled lately?"

Is a woman crying at night?

Did you also see a red shadow?

Lu Zuo got straight to the point, his gaze settling calmly on him.

Chen San's body trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled as he stammered, "Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

"This servant...this servant's old eyes are failing, I'm afraid I saw wrong or misheard in the night...I have disturbed Your Majesty's hearing, this servant deserves to die!"

He thought the emperor had come to punish him.

"I don't blame you."

Lu Zuo said, "You only need to tell me everything you have seen and heard."

When did it begin?

Where exactly is it?

What did that red shadow look like?

What does crying matter?

I will explain in detail, without concealing anything.

If true, I will not only not punish you, but will also reward you.

Upon hearing the word "reward" and sensing that the emperor seemed genuinely not angry, Chen San calmed down slightly, swallowed hard, and tried to recall, saying haltingly, "It...it started about seven or eight days ago."

That abandoned garden was the cold palace of a disfavored concubine from the previous dynasty. It had long been deserted, and the well had been dry for many years.

The servant girl lives in a small house at the entrance of the garden.

In the first few days, I woke up at night and vaguely heard a woman crying, softly and faintly, coming from deep within the abandoned garden.

The servant girl thought it was a stray cat in heat, or the sound of the wind whistling through the broken window, and paid no attention.

He took a breath, his face filled with fear: "Later... about four or five days ago, the wind and snow were heavy at night, and I was woken up by the cold, so I heard it even more clearly!"

That crying sound... came from over there, over there, near that dry well!

Sobbing and whimpering, intermittent and intermittent, listening to it... it gave me the creeps!

The servant mustered her courage, picked up the lantern, and went to take a look... But as soon as she got to the moon gate, she saw... saw what looked like a figure in red standing by the well!

With long hair, her back to the servant, she just... just stood there, facing the well!

At this point, Chen San's body trembled like a leaf in the wind, and her voice was choked with sobs: "I was so scared that my soul almost left my body!"

The light went out, and I scrambled back into the house, covered myself with the blanket, and shivered all night!

When I went to check again at dawn the next day, there was nothing by the well, except for the broken lamp that the maid had dropped.

But ever since then, almost every night, after midnight, that crying sound... and that red shadow would appear from time to time!

This servant will never dare to approach that well at night again, and will walk around it during the day... Your Majesty, everything this servant said is true!

"That place...that place is really dirty!"

Red clothes, long hair, back to the dry well, crying in the middle of the night... Lu Zuo felt cold inside.

This is highly consistent with the characteristics of the "woman in red" in the mass grave.

This was neither a coincidence nor a hallucination of Chen San.

Something has indeed infiltrated the palace, and it has chosen a secluded place like the abandoned garden and the dry well, a place where few people go and where yin energy gathers.

"Besides crying and standing there, what other actions did you take?"

For example, did he look back at you?

Or is there some noise coming from the well?

Lu Zuo pressed for an answer.

Chen San tried hard to recall, then shook his head: "No... I didn't turn around."

He just stood there.

"In the well... I think I heard... a sound like fingernails scraping against stone once, very faint, but very eerie... I'm not sure if I misheard."

Scratching a stone with your fingernails?

Is there something else down in the well?

Was it still the voice of the "woman in red"?

"To whom else have you mentioned this matter?"

"This servant...this servant mentioned to a minor steward in the Imperial Household Department that the area is haunted and that I'd like to change jobs."

But that steward scolded me for being senile and lazy, and even deducted half of my monthly allowance... I dared not tell anyone again.

Chen San said, feeling wronged.

Lu Zuo nodded.

It seems that this matter has not yet attracted the attention of other forces within the palace, or rather, it has been suppressed intentionally or unintentionally.

"I am already aware of this matter."

You may return to your post as usual.

I will send someone to handle this secretly.

If that "thing" reappears, do not approach it or make a sound; preserving your life is the most important thing.

I hereby bestow upon you twenty taels of silver and two bolts of cloth. Go and collect your reward.

Remember, what I say today must not enter your ears; if even a single word is leaked…

Lu Zuo's tone turned cold.

"This servant understands!"

This servant understands!

Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!

This servant will certainly keep silent!

Chen San was moved to tears and kowtowed several more times before being led away by Eunuch Liu to receive his reward and be settled in.

After sending Chen San away, Lu Zuo's face darkened.

The fact that the imperial palace has become a den of demons is an utter disgrace and a tremendous threat.

What is the relationship between the "woman in red" and the "queen"?

Is it the "Queen" herself?

Or is it one of his important henchmen?

What was her purpose in lurking in the abandoned garden and the dry well?

Just to hide?

It's still that dry well. What's so special about it?

"Liu Banban, is there any record of that dry well in the abandoned garden?"

For example, is it connected to an underground river, or are there any related rumors from the previous dynasty?

Lu Zuo asked Liu Gonggong, who had just returned.

Eunuch Liu frowned and pondered for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, that abandoned garden is ancient, and this old servant knows little about it."

However, I seem to have heard an older palace servant mention that the concubine from the previous dynasty fell out of favor because she was discovered to be practicing witchcraft in the palace.

That well... seems to be involved too, as some palace servants died mysteriously near it.

Later, the concubine was forced to commit suicide, and the courtyard was sealed off and gradually fell into disrepair.

As for whether the well connects to other places... this old servant truly does not know.

Perhaps there's a single word or phrase in the oldest files of the Ministry of Works or the Imperial Household Department?

Witchcraft?

Dry well?

dead?

Lu Zuo felt that there might be a connection between them.

Demons and evil spirits love places filled with resentment, bloodshed, and filth.

"Let's make a note of this for now."

What about the other matter I asked you to investigate?

Lu Zuo changed the subject.

Liu Gonggong hurriedly took out a roll of paper wrapped in ordinary oil paper without any markings from his bosom and whispered, "Your Majesty, this is a summary of Yan Qingfeng's merits and demerits over the past three years, which I secretly copied by an old acquaintance who works in the Ministry of War's warehouse."

I dared not touch the original; I could only copy it.

In addition, I also learned that Yan Qingfeng now lives in a rented courtyard in Tiezanzi Hutong in the western part of the city. His only family is his elderly mother, who is bedridden and the family is quite poor.

After he was suspended from his post, his salary was halved. I heard he's pawning things to buy medicine for his elderly mother.

Lu Zuo took the roll of paper, unfolded it, and examined it closely.

The above, written in slightly messy handwriting, records several of Yan Qingfeng's major achievements in recent years:

In the spring of the fifteenth year of Jinghe, he tracked down the "Heart-Eating Demon" in the Black Pine Forest in the western suburbs, and single-handedly killed three demonized wolf heads and rescued two trapped woodcutters.

He submitted a report requesting commendation, but his superior rejected it for "unauthorized absence from his post without reporting," and he received a minor demerit.

In the autumn of the sixteenth year of Jinghe, a "skinning case" occurred near the old neighborhood, suspected to be the work of a demon.

Yan Qingfeng volunteered to investigate and three days later discovered the spider's nest in the underground of an abandoned dye house. He fought fiercely and severely injured the spider's mother, but was also wounded himself.

However, the mother spider eventually escaped.

The superior officer reprimanded him for "alerting the enemy by stirring up trouble, allowing the main culprit to escape," but since his merits and demerits canceled each other out, he would not be rewarded or punished.

"In the winter of the seventeenth year of Jinghe, a series of disappearances occurred in the old neighborhood."

Yan Qingfeng insisted that this was not an ordinary flower-picking incident, but rather a kidnapping by demons, and demanded that more people be sent to thoroughly search the southwest shantytown of Jiufang.

He had a heated argument with his superior, Pan Ren, the commander of the West City branch, and was accused of "stirring up trouble and disturbing public order." He was ordered to suspend his duties for self-reflection, and his salary was halved.

Beside the record, there were a few words of evaluation: "He is arrogant and naive, but brave and fierce in battle, and he is indeed obsessed with the path of exorcising demons."

He repeatedly displeased his superiors, and therefore was not promoted.

After reading it, Lu Zuo understood the situation.

Yan Qingfeng is a typical "troublemaker," but he is also someone who truly wants to do things and dares to do them.

His judgment closely matched the information Liu Quan obtained from Sun the Cripple, as well as his own speculation.

The southwest shantytown of Jiufang is the place where "strangers" gather, where there are the growls of wild animals and the smell of fish!

Pan Ren's obstruction of his investigation is clearly suspicious; he is likely acting on orders from Liu Daoling's faction and doesn't want Yan Qingfeng to uncover certain matters.

A master of the Demon-Slaying Platform, suspended from his job, impoverished, and filled with resentment, yet possessing both experience and a deep-seated obsession with demons...

Lu tapped the table lightly with his left finger.

This person is usable.

However, it requires skill to use it effectively.

A direct audience?

The target was too large and would immediately alert Liu Daoling and Pan Ren.

Secret contact?

In what capacity?

What's the reason?

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zuo had an idea.

"Liu Banban, go find a set of clothes for a steward in an ordinary wealthy family, not too new or too old, but not in the style of the palace."

Prepare another visiting card, and sign it as follows: "Jishetang in the west of the city, Manager Zhao".

Prepare a decent gift for visiting someone in the sick, including herbs like ginseng and astragalus that replenish qi and blood, and also seal it with fifty taels of silver.

In the name of Jishetang, go to Tiezanzi Hutong to visit Yan Qingfeng's elderly mother.

Hearing that Commander Gao Yi of Yan had a seriously ill mother, he came to visit her and offer his condolences.

Upon meeting Yan Qingfeng, there's no need for many words; simply leave your belongings and a visiting card.

The visiting card, besides greetings, contained only one sentence: "In the shantytowns of the southwest, a den of beasts teeming with stench, dare you venture out at night?"

Then leave an address: Tomorrow night at midnight, under the third locust tree in the back alley of the "Yuelai" teahouse in Xicheng.

Let's see if he keeps the appointment.

Liu Gonggong was dumbfounded.

Is Your Majesty going to... personally recruit Yan Qingfeng?

Or should we use this method, which is almost like a secret code?

Or should we use this method, which is almost like a secret code?

This is far too risky, and completely unbecoming of Your Majesty!

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

You are of noble birth; how can you lightly venture into dangerous places?

Whether Yan Qingfeng is human or ghost is still unknown, let alone the fact that demons roam the old neighborhood. If it's a trap, or if word gets out..."

Eunuch Liu was so anxious that he was about to kneel down again.

"My mind is made up."

Lu Zuo's tone was calm, yet undeniable: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."

I will not personally take risks; I know what I'm doing.

You just need to do as I say.

Remember, the person you send must be quick-witted and tight-lipped. If questioned, say that they admire Yan Qingfeng's character and were sent on behalf of their employer.

Jishengtang is a long-established pharmacy in Beijing, known for its charitable deeds and generosity, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Seeing Lu Zuo's determination, Eunuch Liu knew that further persuasion would be useless, and could only anxiously agree: "This old servant... will go and do it right away."

We will definitely select the most reliable personnel.

Go ahead.

In addition, send two more reliable and skilled sentries to the abandoned garden. They should keep watch from a distance, but not get close to the dry well or alert the enemy. They should just record the pattern of the 'red shadow' and any abnormalities.

"I want to see what exactly that thing is."

Lu Zuo added.

Liu Gonggong bowed and withdrew, feeling as if the burden on his shoulders had become a thousand pounds heavier, and his heart was pounding.

Your Majesty's game is becoming increasingly dangerous and escalating.

Lu Zuo stood alone by the window, gazing at the gloomy sky.

The "woman in red" in the abandoned garden, the "beast's den" in the old neighborhood, the lurking "queen," the power-hungry minister... countless clues intertwine, and danger lurks everywhere.

But he felt little fear; instead, he felt a kind of calm excitement.

This feeling of walking on the edge of a cliff, finding a way through the fog, and secretly playing games with various forces brought back some of the mindset he had when he ruled the world and built his empire in his previous life.

"Yan Qingfeng... I hope you won't disappoint me."

He muttered to himself.

This tough guy, marginalized by the bureaucratic system, may become the first lever he uses to shake up this stagnant pool.

After returning to his desk, he did not continue his cultivation. Instead, he spread out a blank sheet of paper and began to sketch a detailed topographical map of the imperial palace, especially the abandoned garden in the southeast, based on his memory.

The Ministry of Works' map was too general; he needed a more precise layout, including the exact location of every palace, alleyway, tree, rockery, and even the dry well.

The pen scratches across the paper, and a miniature imperial palace, fraught with hidden dangers, gradually emerges.

The dry well marked with a red dot, like an ugly scar, was conspicuously etched in the center of the drawing.

Night fell quietly once again.

Lu Zuo blew out the lamp, but did not go to bed.

He changed into his night clothes and, like a wisp of smoke, quietly left the imperial study, disappearing into the deep night.

He did not go to the abandoned garden, nor did he leave the palace. Instead, relying on his increasingly keen senses and the faint divine consciousness brought by the "Spiritual Rhinoceros Forging Divine Method," he began to wander and explore like a ghost in some secluded, dark, and easy-to-hide corners of the inner palace gardens.

He is getting familiar with this cage, and he is also examining his "home" from a different perspective.

Many details overlooked during the day became clear under the cover of night and with the aid of divine sense—the unusual dampness at the foot of a palace wall, the subtle claw marks left in a rockery cave, and even the almost imperceptible, fishy smell in the air of a secluded corner, similar to that of a wolf demon…

This seemingly peaceful palace has long been secretly infiltrated and riddled with holes.

As midnight approached, Lu Zuo quietly returned to the Imperial Study, took off his night clothes, and looked cold and stern.

The situation was worse than he had anticipated.

The traces of demons are not limited to the ruined garden.

It's just that other places may not have "revealed" yet, or they may have been covered up in some way.

"Liu Daoling, Yuwen Qing... and that 'Queen,' just how much filth have you been hiding in my house?"

Lu Zuo's eyes flashed with an icy light.

He sat down cross-legged and began his cultivation again.

Pressure has transformed into the strongest driving force.

He must be faster and stronger!

The night sky outside the window was as black as ink, with no stars or moon in sight.

The cold wind howled, sweeping across the empty palace square like the whispers of departed souls.

In this long and perilous winter night, the young emperor, like a sword being repeatedly forged by cruel reality and his own will, silently accumulates the sharpness to cut through all demons and monsters in the deepest darkness.

The decisive collision seems to be just around the corner, with thunder rumbling in the distance.

This is far too risky, and completely unbecoming of Your Majesty!

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

You are of noble birth; how can you lightly venture into dangerous places?

Whether Yan Qingfeng is human or ghost is still unknown, let alone the fact that demons roam the old neighborhood. If it's a trap, or if word gets out..."

Eunuch Liu was so anxious that he was about to kneel down again.

"My mind is made up."

Lu Zuo's tone was calm, yet undeniable: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."

I will not personally take risks; I know what I'm doing.

You just need to do as I say.

Remember, the person you send must be quick-witted and tight-lipped. If questioned, say that they admire Yan Qingfeng's character and were sent on behalf of their employer.

Jishengtang is a long-established pharmacy in Beijing, known for its charitable deeds and generosity, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Seeing Lu Zuo's determination, Eunuch Liu knew that further persuasion would be useless, and could only anxiously agree: "This old servant... will go and do it right away."

We will definitely select the most reliable personnel.

Go ahead.

In addition, send two more reliable and skilled sentries to the abandoned garden. They should keep watch from a distance, but not get close to the dry well or alert the enemy. They should just record the pattern of the 'red shadow' and any abnormalities.

"I want to see what exactly that thing is."

Lu Zuo added.

Liu Gonggong bowed and withdrew, feeling as if the burden on his shoulders had become a thousand pounds heavier, and his heart was pounding.

Your Majesty's game is becoming increasingly dangerous and escalating.

Lu Zuo stood alone by the window, gazing at the gloomy sky.

The "woman in red" in the abandoned garden, the "beast's den" in the old neighborhood, the lurking "queen," the power-hungry minister... countless clues intertwine, and danger lurks everywhere.

But he felt little fear; instead, he felt a kind of calm excitement.

This feeling of walking on the edge of a cliff, finding a way through the fog, and secretly playing games with various forces brought back some of the mindset he had when he ruled the world and built his empire in his previous life.

"Yan Qingfeng... I hope you won't disappoint me."

He muttered to himself.

This tough guy, marginalized by the bureaucratic system, may become the first lever he uses to shake up this stagnant pool.

After returning to his desk, he did not continue his cultivation. Instead, he spread out a blank sheet of paper and began to sketch a detailed topographical map of the imperial palace, especially the abandoned garden in the southeast, based on his memory.

The Ministry of Works' map was too general; he needed a more precise layout, including the exact location of every palace, alleyway, tree, rockery, and even the dry well.

The pen scratches across the paper, and a miniature imperial palace, fraught with hidden dangers, gradually emerges.

The dry well marked with a red dot, like an ugly scar, was conspicuously etched in the center of the drawing.

Night fell quietly once again.

Lu Zuo blew out the lamp, but did not go to bed.

He changed into his night clothes and, like a wisp of smoke, quietly left the imperial study, disappearing into the deep night.

He did not go to the abandoned garden, nor did he leave the palace. Instead, relying on his increasingly keen senses and the faint divine consciousness brought by the "Spiritual Rhinoceros Forging Divine Method," he began to wander and explore like a ghost in some secluded, dark, and easy-to-hide corners of the inner palace gardens.

He is getting familiar with this cage, and he is also examining his "home" from a different perspective.

Many details overlooked during the day became clear under the cover of night and with the aid of divine sense—the unusual dampness at the foot of a palace wall, the subtle claw marks left in a rockery cave, and even the almost imperceptible, fishy smell in the air of a secluded corner, similar to that of a wolf demon…

This seemingly peaceful palace has long been secretly infiltrated and riddled with holes.

As midnight approached, Lu Zuo quietly returned to the Imperial Study, took off his night clothes, and looked cold and stern.

The situation was worse than he had anticipated.

The traces of demons are not limited to the ruined garden.

It's just that other places may not have "revealed" yet, or they may have been covered up in some way.

"Liu Daoling, Yuwen Qing... and that 'Queen,' just how much filth have you been hiding in my house?"

Lu Zuo's eyes flashed with an icy light.

He sat down cross-legged and began his cultivation again.

Pressure has transformed into the strongest driving force.

He must be faster and stronger!

The night sky outside the window was as black as ink, with no stars or moon in sight.

The cold wind howled, sweeping across the empty palace square like the whispers of departed souls.

In this long and perilous winter night, the young emperor, like a sword being repeatedly forged by cruel reality and his own will, silently accumulates the sharpness to cut through all demons and monsters in the deepest darkness.

The decisive collision seems to be just around the corner, with thunder rumbling in the distance.