Refining the Mountains and Rivers

A Heaven Inquiry was launched, yet General Jinwu was safe and sound. This alone was enough to prove that there was nothing wrong with him or what he did.

Since this turmoil could not hurt him at all, whether it was His Majesty's appeasement or 'revenge' towards the different parties in the Imperial Capital, it all only served to promote him further.

Qin Yu rode the gust of wind and it brought him as high as the clouds. However, his promotions stunned countless figures in the Imperial Capital.

Third-class Marquis Chongwu!

And he was also a first-class general who held a lot of power in the military. Other than a few big figures in the political courts, who else could suppress him?

Of course, there were definitely still some people powerful enough to do that, such as the Old Ye Family and the Later Ye Family, Prime Minister Han, the military privy council ministers, and some of the important lords in the Imperial Clan.

However, thinking of this, no one felt relieved. In fact, the bitter smiles on their faces became even worse, because these powerful figures were the pillars of the West Desolate's political court. This was an undisputed fact.

All of a sudden, they found out that General Jinwu Ning Qin, who came from the fragmented area and was mediocre in cultivation, was close to becoming an important minister! This made these figures who had spent years getting to their positions grit their teeth, and their eyes were red!

But now, these figures who were jealous and envious of General Jinwu were the lucky ones. Those that had earlier jumped out to fiercely criticize General Jinwu and asked the Desolate King to severely punish him were now so bitter that they were almost going to cry.

Since General Jinwu was not affected by any of their actions, and instead got a big promotion and became a marquis of the West Desolate, they were bound to have bad luck in the future.

……

There was a palace that faced southeast in the Imperial Palace's harem, and located at a corner was the Hall of Fragrance. It was the residence of a concubine with the title of Noble Lady Xiang, who had been favored a lot in recent years.

Noble Lady Xiang was naturally born with a nice fragrance that was light-smelling but strong. It could sway people's hearts, but it could also help one to concentrate and improve their cultivation.

Ever since she was summoned to the Imperial Palace, she had been promoted three times in the past five years. After beginning as a lowly female attendant, she was now a noble lady in the three palaces and six courtyards of the Imperial Palace.

There were rumors saying that Noble Lady Xiang was pregnant with His Majesty's child, which put the position of a consort within her reach. This would make her a figure that was not to be underestimated in the harem.

After all, there were north winds, west winds, east winds, and south winds in this world, but the most powerful force of all was pillow talk. Use it well, and one can help to make a final decision, or turn the tides in their favor.

However, in the Hall of Fragrance, the atmosphere was quite gloomy. Firstly, it was because His Majesty was busy with official affairs and had not come here in half a month. Secondly, this noble lady, who always had been charming and gentle, was in a bad mood lately. She had already punished two unlucky female attendants.

Even though the punishment was not very severe, the two female attendants still ended up covered in blood, which made everyone's hearts tighten. All the other servants were much more cautious even when they walked, for fear that any big movements would lead to a disaster befalling upon them.

"Eunuch Wei," two female attendants curtsied respectfully.

It was not only because this person was the chief eunuch of the Hall of Fragrance. It was also because he had announced the king's imperial decree not long ago.

For the eunuchs, being able to announce the imperial decree was the highest honor that could be bestowed upon them. Furthermore, Eunuch Wei was the one who personally escorted General Jinwu Ning Qin back to the Imperial Palace. Even if these female servants stayed in the harem, they also managed to hear some gossip about the prestige of this newly-promoted marquis.

With Eunuch Wei's sociability and friendliness, it was highly possible that he had already established a good relationship with the marquis.

To follow someone so prestigious, coupled with Eunuch Wei's young age, it was not impossible for him to become the most powerful eunuch in the future.

He could potentially become like Eunuch Hu, who served directly under His Majesty. How majestic!

Thinking of this, the two female attendants' faces turned slightly red, and there was more charm in their eyes as they looked at Eunuch Wei.

In the Imperial Palace, the long nights were hard to get through. There were always some pitiful people who came together to comfort each other.

However, today Eunuch Wei was not in the mood to talk to the two delicate and beautiful female attendants. He merely nodded his head and walked away, and the two female attendants could not help but show a little annoyance and sadness on their faces.

"Wei Wei greets the mistress."

After reporting his presence, he entered the room and kowtowed respectfully to Noble Lady Xiang.

Noble Lady Xiang, who was leaning on the soft couch and looking at him, had a complex look in her eyes as she said softly, "Get up. I told you to go and deliver things to the house; is everything okay at home?"

Wei Wei replied, "Lady, please do not worry. Old Master and Mistress are all well. They told me to bring a message to you. They wanted you to serve His Majesty with peace of mind and not to worry about them."

After a little hesitation, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "When I returned to the house this time, this servant was rewarded by the old master. He said that you personally made a few jars of wine last time and they had been buried underground for a long time. They only took them out when you were promoted to a noble lady, and today, they even gave one jar to this servant."

Noble Lady Xiang's face changed slightly before frowning, and her face became increasingly gloomy, "Father must have been confused. How can such fine wine that was brewed by me be given to a lowly servant!"

Her eyes were cold as she continued, "Wei Wei, put the wine in the palace. You are dismissed. Next time, if there's nothing else, you don't have to come to this palace anymore. You can do your own tasks outside."

Several female attendants who were present in the room all widened their eyes at the same time, looking shocked.

They were thinking, 'It's just a jar of wine; even if it was made personally by a noble lady, you should not alienate Eunuch Wei, who you've always trusted, over this trivial matter'.

Feeling frightened and uneasy, the female attendants lowered their heads even more. They felt their hearts trembling.

Eunuch Wei knelt on the ground, and a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes. Then, he took a deep breath, as if he had come to a decision. He took out the jar of wine and put both hands on the ground as he kowtowed respectfully towards Noble Lady Xiang.

"Take care, Noble Lady Xiang. I will take my leave now."

The eunuchs in the Imperial Palace were all crippled and pitiful creatures. There was once a female attendant who was bullied from time to time at the beginning when she had just entered the Imperial Palace.

One day, this pitiful female attendant got beaten as a punishment. This made the female attendant form a close relationship with a pitiful eunuch.

Then, after a few years, this female attendant was favored by His Majesty and step by step, she became a noble lady. The pitiful eunuch had also become a significant figure in the Imperial Palace. At least, he was no longer bullied by people. In fact, he was even qualified to bully others.

Walking out of the Hall of Fragrance, Wei Wei turned his head and glanced behind him with a gratified look on his face. Even if you are a prestigious noble lady now, to me, you are still that cowardly and timid female attendant you used to be.

That's good, that's enough for me.

Back then, Eunuch Wei and Noble Lady Xiang talked about everything in their lives. Eunuch Wei remembered everything about what Noble Lady Xiang experienced in her younger years. There was no handmade wine at all. The old master's 'reward' was actually a jar of wine that would send Eunuch Wei to his death.

Wei Wei smiled and raised his hand to straighten his round hat on his head. Although he was a cripple, he was not someone who would frame his friends.

Back at his residence, Wei Wei dismissed a few lowly eunuchs that came over to ask what happened to him. As he glanced at their backs and how they left in a panic, a smile appeared on his face as he was thinking of something.

Then, he closed the door.

A day later, in the middle of the night, the door opened with a 'click' from the outside. Two men, dressed in black, came in. They immediately saw Wei Wei whose head was collapsed on the table.

There was still a faint aroma of wine in the air, but the dishes on the table were already cold, just like Wei Wei, who was now lying on the table, as if he had just fallen asleep.

"Hmph! This worm does not know how to appreciate someone else's favors!" One of the men dressed in black yelled and then sneered, "You think that committing suicide can help your mistress escape this trial? Continue dreaming!"

He stepped forward and kicked the cold corpse onto the ground.

The other man frowned and said, "That's enough. He's already dead, what's the point in doing that to his corpse and damaging your own morality?" Glancing at the room, he waved his hand, "Go on, go and do what we were supposed to do and then let's leave."

The first man dressed in black stopped angrily, took a few things out from his robe, and entered the inner room.

Looking at Wei Wei's corpse, there was a hint of admiration in the frowning eyes of the second man dressed in black.

Among the eunuchs, there were actually some people who did not hesitate to die; it was not what he expected.

Hesitating for a while, he waved his sleeve and lifted Wei Wei up with an invisible force such that he was now lying on the table again.

This was all he could do to preserve the eunuch's dignity.

"Let's go."

The two men turned around and left, closing the door behind them.

The next day, the news about the chief eunuch of the Hall of Fragrance, Wei Wei, committing suicide had spread.

The palace guards personally took over and found several prohibited items in his room after conducting a search. Although no one else really knew what these items were specifically, there were speculations that these items involved witchcraft.

Witchcraft was, in a world where deities were worshiped, an extremely terrifying method.

All along, witchcraft was strictly a forbidden evil magic secret technique in the palace. Anyone involved in the slightest would receive capital punishment.

Chaos broke out in the Hall of Fragrance and mourning sounds could be heard everywhere. The imperial guards rushed in, pulling away all of the expressionless female attendants and eunuchs.

They knelt neatly outside the palace. The glow of a sword lit up, and their heads rolled onto the ground one by one and the bloody smell filled everyone's nostrils.

Very quickly, a pale-faced eunuch came over hurriedly with a bucket, and started to scrub the ground to get rid of all the blood.

In the hall, Noble Lady Xiang's face was pale. She held an embroidered handkerchief tightly in her hand. Her eyes were blank, as if she was terrified to an extreme point, but also as if she was numb to everything going on.

"Noble Lady Xiang, His Majesty has issued a decree for you to stay in the Hall of Fragrance. Without an edict, you are not allowed to take even a step outside," a leader of the palace guards said as he cupped his hands.

After he finished speaking, he turned around and left without waiting for a response. "Close the entrance and seal the inner aura so that it does not come into contact with the outside!"

Noble Lady Xiang's body trembled and she slowly came back to her senses. She closed her eyes as she heard the locks being put on the door and tears fell.

You clearly know that I was letting you go, so why did you still choose to die here?