The eunuch in the cold palace: You get the Nine Yang Divine Skill right from the start!

Wu Xiong felt a sudden wave of desolation.

According to palace rules, eunuchs could only retire to their hometowns at the age of sixty. However, if the master was willing to use a eunuch, he could stay in the position of chief eunuch until he was seventy years old.

But as the saying goes, rules are made by a minority.

Clearly, Empress Xiao Yishu was one of them.

Xiao Yishu spoke up: "Do you have anything else to say to me?"

Wu Xiong took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

He knelt down with a "plop".

"This humble servant is old and humbly begs Your Majesty to grant me permission to retire and return to my hometown!"

The empress wanted him to leave the position with dignity, but if he refused, he would be kicked off in an undignified manner.

His mind was as clear as a mirror.

"Have you thought it through?"

Xiao Yishu looked at Wu Xiong, and then at this old eunuch who had been with her for more than ten years, and felt a pang of pity.

But she knew she had to do it.

This was not only to pave the way for Shen Mo, but also because she realized that Wu Xiong had already harbored ulterior motives, and that hesitation would only lead to more trouble.

"This servant's mind is made up; please grant me your permission, Your Majesty!"

Wu Xiong kowtowed again and said these words, his heart seemingly bleeding.

Xiao Yishu suppressed the lingering reluctance in her heart and nodded, saying, "Granted. You have served me for so many years with great merit and hard work. I will certainly report to His Majesty and reward you handsomely."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Wu Xiong stood up and bowed deeply.

After leaving Fengyi Palace, Shen Mo went to the Cold Palace to accompany Li Zhaoxue and the others.

Even though their status was not as high as the Empress's, he never forgot where he came from and would never show favoritism or neglect them.

When I returned to the courtyard, it was already dawn.

Shen Mo had only been asleep for less than two hours when there was a knock on the courtyard gate. He got up to open the door, and his expression changed slightly:

"It's actually Steward Wu! What a rare guest!"

"I am no longer the head steward, so Steward Shen, you don't need to be so sarcastic."

Wu Xiong waved his hand, his expression indifferent.

After a moment's thought, Shen Mo guessed that the Empress had already taken action, so he asked, "What would you like to talk about?"

"One answer."

"What's the answer?"

Wu Xiong smiled meaningfully and said, "You should have already guessed that when I had Wu De find someone to humiliate Consort Shu, it wasn't at the Empress's behest, was it?"

What do you want?

Shen Mo instantly became extremely alert.

In this harem where everyone is driven by self-interest, to gain something, you must first lose something else.

He wouldn't mind paying a price to get this answer.

Wu Xiong shook his head and sighed:

"Logically, I could sell this information for a good price, but I thought about it all night last night."

Thinking back on how I climbed the ranks from a lowly eunuch to become the Empress's personal eunuch, then the chief eunuch, and finally retired unscathed, I realize I'm far luckier than most.

At least, he's luckier than my nephew Wu De.

Shen Mo remained expressionless and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Shen Mo, you are really well-suited to survive in the harem. Even though I can no longer threaten you, you still refuse to admit it."

Wu Xiong shook his head and sneered, "Wu De definitely died at your hands, just like Qin Lu, whose killer can't be found either—he must have died at your hands too!"

"Where's the evidence?"

Shen Mo shrugged, insisting that everything must be based on evidence.

Wu Xiong said calmly, "I have no evidence, but I trust my judgment! I'm not here for revenge, but to tell you the answer. It's not for you, but for Her Majesty the Empress."

After saying that, he wrote a single word on his silent finger—"Too!"

Shen Mo felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

He had doubted the Empress and the Emperor, but he never doubted the Crown Prince.

"No! Consort Shu has no grudge against him!"

Shen Mo frowned. He had asked Li Zhaoxue who had a grudge against him, no matter how minor. Li Zhaoxue had named several people, but notably not the Crown Prince.

Wu Xiong shook his head and said, "But Consort Shu has a grudge against the Empress, otherwise the Empress would not have banished her to the Cold Palace."

Shen Mo was even more puzzled.

The Empress and Consort Shu have a grudge, so the Crown Prince chooses to take revenge. What is the reason behind this?

Wu Xiong said slowly, "The Crown Prince greatly admires the Empress!"

The word "admire" was deliberately emphasized.

Shen Mo was struck dumb upon realizing this.

It was one thing for the Fourth Prince Chu Feng to like his father's woman, but the Crown Prince actually liked her too, and the woman he liked was none other than Empress Xiao Yishu.

It's not hard to understand why the Crown Prince would devise such a perverted fetish in order to retaliate against Consort Shu for opposing the Empress.

It turns out that Wu Xiong had already secretly pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince!

"The undercurrents in the harem have reached this point." After figuring everything out, Shen Mo found it hard to calm down.

Seeing that he had already grasped the meaning, Wu Xiong said no more and suddenly raised his hand and slapped out a palm.

This palm strike contained decades of accumulated skill.

Shen Mo reacted quickly, raising his hand to throw a punch, always on guard against his opponent.

boom--

With a muffled thud, Shen Mo stood still, while Wu Xiong was forced back several steps.

"This slap was to avenge my nephew; it's the only thing I, as his uncle, can do for him."

Wu Xiong gasped for breath, but a relieved smile appeared on his face: "You have proven that you are qualified to protect Her Majesty the Empress for me. I can leave now with peace of mind."

This strike was not only a revenge, but also a test.

Shen Mo knew that Wu Xiong was telling the truth, because the palm strike just now, though seemingly fierce, did not contain any killing intent, and it was aimed at the ribs.

"My journey has come to an end, but yours... is still long. If we meet again in the martial world someday, I'll treat you to a drink."

After Wu Xiong finished speaking, he turned and left gracefully, his originally hunched figure seemingly straightening up a bit.

Shen Mo should have been happy, but his heart felt inexplicably heavy.

Many of the prejudices that were originally against Wu Xiong turned into hatred towards Chu Tian.

Only now do I understand.

Why was Li Zhaoxue banished to the Cold Palace? The person she truly hated was the emperor!

"Life is like a game of chess; how many people dare say they are not a pawn?"

Shen Mo shook his head, went back inside to change into his training clothes, and diligently practiced his martial arts.

The purpose is to one day escape the fate of being a pawn.

........

Before leaving the palace, Wu Xiong went to the purification room again to retrieve his "treasure".

This is a procedure that every eunuch leaving the palace must take.

According to popular belief, a person must be fully recovered when they enter the coffin; otherwise, they will be reborn as a eunuch.

The sky was overcast, and a light rain was falling.

Wu Xiong rode out of the palace in a grand carriage. He couldn't help but lift the curtain and look back at the place where he had spent almost his entire life.

One last look.

The carriage was halfway there.

"stop!"

Wu Xiong told the driver to stop. He smelled a familiar aroma—it was the fried pancakes that were unique to his hometown.

Having lived a life of luxury in the palace for decades, he hadn't tasted the flavors of his hometown. He still remembered that when he left home to make his way in the world, his mother made this fried pancake as a farewell meal.

After working diligently for several years after entering the palace, he was finally promoted to steward and granted the right to return to his hometown to visit his family.

Upon returning to his hometown, he learned that both his parents had already passed away.

Wu Xiong walked up to the fried dough stall and asked, "How much?"

"Reporting to you, sir, it's five coins each."

"Keep the change, please."

Wu Xiong tossed down a silver ingot, took the fried cake, and was about to put it in his mouth to taste it.

Suddenly, a "child" beside me leaped up, moving so fast that it left a blur.

Sizzle—!

The dagger plunged deep into his throat.

Wu Xiong collapsed, clutching his bleeding neck. The fried dough in his hand fell to the ground and rolled to the side. He shakily raised his hand and used the last of his strength to grab it.

He didn't know whether he was trying to grab the fried dough that he had never tasted, or the boy who had defied his elderly parents' objections and insisted on venturing far away.

"Eunuch Wu is dead!"

"Catch the assassin!"

The scene was in complete chaos, with carriage wheels crushing the oil cakes.

It's as if it crushed the dreams of a young boy.