The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Entering through the Left Yintai Gate, on the open ground west of Taiye Pond near Xuanhua Gate, lies the Privy Council, responsible for transmitting information and receiving confidential information within the palace.

Logically speaking, since Liu Hongyi and Xue Jiling had already taken over the Shence Army, they should have moved out of the Privy Council and into the Inner Palace Secretariat.

But at this juncture, with everything still in turmoil, they clearly have no time for such thoughts.

After leaving the Zichen Palace, the two returned to the Privy Council. Seeing the familiar surroundings and the people around them, the tension in their hearts finally eased.

The palace servants below had already prepared breakfast and were just waiting for them to return so they could serve it to them.

But the two of them clearly don't have that in mind right now.

After having a pot of tea brewed, Liu Hongyi dismissed all the bystanders. Then, he took out the neatly folded list and placed it on the table, his brows furrowed.

"Lieutenant Xue, what do you think of His Majesty's actions today?"

At this moment, Liu Hongyi was completely devoid of the humble demeanor he had displayed in the Zichen Palace. Instead, he exuded a gloomy aura.

Xue Jiling was the same; he leaned back in his chair.

"What else could it be but a warning to us, to make us loyal and not end up like Qiu Shiliang and the others."

His tone was very casual, but if you listened carefully, you could even detect a hint of dissatisfaction.

However, Liu Hongyi frowned and gently shook his head.

"No, if it were just a warning, there would be no need to make it so obvious. I have a feeling that His Majesty's actions today are hinting at something to us."

Hearing what the other party said, Xue Jiling also perked up.

Although he and Liu Hongyi had different personalities, they were both politically astute, as they were both Privy Councilors.

He carefully reviewed the dialogue in his mind and soon noticed something was amiss.

"Indeed, upon closer reflection, His Majesty's attitude seems rather strange."

"Just as His Majesty himself said, yesterday's events were originally intended to eliminate Qiu Shiliang and his associates. The two have now been executed, and their accomplices have all been arrested."

"Logically, this should be a happy occasion, but judging from His Majesty's behavior today, it seems that is not the case."

Xue Jiling's expression became somewhat confused.

But upon hearing these words, Liu Hongyi's eyes lit up immediately, and he said...

"No, you've made a mistake in one of your statements."

"Do you remember what His Majesty said at the time? He said that yesterday was a trap set to kill Qiu Shiliang and his men, and then he added something else..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Jiling's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously straightened up.

The two looked at each other and almost simultaneously blurted out their words.

"Someone is plotting to seize control of the Shence Army!"

They had heard these words before the Emperor, but at the time, they focused on the first half of the sentence and ignored the second half.

Xue Jiling wasn't stupid; it's just that too many things had happened in the past day and night, and he hadn't had time to calm down and sort things out.

At this moment, Liu Hongyi pointed out the key point, and he immediately thought of everything that happened in the hall yesterday after Qiu Shiliang's death.

"It's Li Xun! He wants to seize command of the Shence Army from us!"

This is not a question, but a conclusion.

Liu Hongyi nodded, and a chilling aura began to emanate from his body.

"I'm afraid he not only wants to seize military power from us, but also wants to completely bring the Shence Army under the control of the outer court."

The allure of power lies in the fact that once you've experienced it, you can never leave it, and you'll fight tooth and nail to hold onto it.

The reason why the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty were more powerful than those in any other dynasty was because of their control over the Shence Army.

Once this power is lost, eunuchs will inevitably return to a lowly position where they can be trampled on and humiliated at will.

From this perspective, Liu Hongyi's words can be seen as defining Li Xun as the mortal enemy of the entire eunuch group.

Xue Jiling naturally understood this.

After a moment of silence, a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he said in a low voice.

"Li Xun was promoted by His Majesty himself. If His Majesty hadn't tacitly approved yesterday's events, Li Xun might not have dared to do them. Lieutenant Liu, what do you think of His Majesty's actions...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Liu Hongyi understood what he meant.

"I'm afraid not. Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't have ordered us to detain Li Xun in the palace yesterday. Moreover, His Majesty summoned you and me today, which is both a warning and a reassurance."

"Do you remember what His Majesty said to us in the end?"

Xue Jiling frowned, and then he tentatively asked.

"You mean His Majesty said that we are all rootless people, and all we ask for is to live like human beings?"

Liu Hongyi nodded: "His Majesty is not a sentimental person, so at the time I was wondering why His Majesty had such a sigh. Now that I think about it, I think we should look at this in conjunction with His Majesty's initial question."

"Connect them?" Xue Jiling still didn't quite understand.

So Liu Hongyi continued, "At first, we both thought that His Majesty's mention of Wang Shoucheng and Qiu Shiliang was to warn us, but upon closer examination, although they held high positions and wielded great power, they all died unnatural deaths."

"If this is used to reprimand us, wouldn't it make us think that the Emperor might also attack us without cause at any time?"

"That's right..." Xue Jiling nodded, "I also think that His Majesty should be able to see through such a simple truth."

Liu Hongyi continued, "Therefore, it's not that His Majesty didn't see through it, but rather that neither you nor I have grasped the true meaning behind His Majesty's words."

Xue Jiling frowned and pondered for a long time, but still couldn't understand. So he simply said, "Lieutenant Liu, we're in the same boat now, so don't keep me in suspense."

Seeing this, Liu Hongyi gave a wry smile and said, "I was just guessing. His Majesty's words actually tell us a few facts."

"Firstly, and most simply and easily seen, Wang Shoucheng and Qiu Shiliang both wielded immense power in the court, but in the end they were both executed. This shows that although we eunuchs have great power, we are still subject to the imperial power. His Majesty is telling us that we must serve with loyalty."

Xue Jiling nodded. This was something the two of them had agreed on back then, and he was clearly concerned with the deeper meaning at this moment.

So Liu Hongyi continued, "Secondly, and this is what I just said, which requires careful consideration to understand, His Majesty is saying that we eunuchs share the same fate as His Majesty, and we share the same fate as him. Therefore, to have disloyalty to His Majesty is to destroy one's own foundation."

This was somewhat difficult to understand. After pondering for a moment, Xue Jiling couldn't help but ask, "What does it mean?"

Liu Hongyi explained, "Since we are both eunuchs, I won't mince words. Throughout history, people like us have always been considered unworthy of respect by court officials."

"No matter how respectful we are on the surface, if one day we lose our power, these powerful families will probably not even give us a second glance."

"As His Majesty said, we have no descendants, and all we ask for is to live a good life. Since that is the case, we must hold on tightly to the power in our hands."

"And His Majesty is the one who gives us power. The most important point of His Majesty's words today is to tell us that as long as he is here, we have power in our hands. But if he is no longer here one day, even if the new one is someone we have chosen ourselves, he will probably not escape the same fate as Wang Shouchang and Qiu Shiliang."

"As long as His Majesty is alive, we hold power?"

Xue Jiling chewed over those words several times, his expression gradually becoming somewhat complicated.

After a long silence, he nodded slightly and sighed.

"You're right. His Majesty's true meaning is probably to tell us that no matter how powerful eunuchs are, there must be limits. Once those limits are exceeded, they will inevitably meet their doom."

"Your Majesty, you are indeed different from before..."