Chapter 13: The Arrival of the New Emperor

"I only stirred up a tiny bit of my blood-flame, yet I was almost detected by that Red-Robed First Superintendent?"

"That was a bit reckless."

"But I still need to walk around the palace more often in the future."

Within the inner palace, Su Chen strolled leisurely, heading toward his library.

Having sat in the library for half a year, seeing the new dynasty gradually stabilize, Su Chen could no longer sit still.

In a cold, desolate place like the library, eating white flour buns for three months had already made him complain incessantly; sitting still for half a year was truly his limit. Su Chen decided that if there was an opportunity, he would go out more often, as long as he didn't offend any nobles.

"Long live His Majesty, long live, long, long live!"

In the distance, from the rockery and stone forest, a sound drifted over.

From far away, Su Chen saw the figure of the handsome young man wearing the bright yellow dragon robe. Although his temperament was somewhat different, it was indeed the Seventh Prince that Su Chen had met before.

The former Seventh Prince was young, reckless, and immature. In order to help his imperial brother, he had marched straight to Su Chen, demanding the secret formulas for perfume and soap.

Now.

His spine was straight, he carried an air of natural authority without anger, and he was stern and humorless, as if he were learning how to be an emperor, not wanting his ministers to guess his thoughts.

Beside him stood a young woman in silver armor.

The two were strolling leisurely, walking through the rockery and stone forest. Looking at their posture and demeanor, it was actually...

"It looks like they are cultivating a romantic relationship."

"Right?"

A figure appeared silently beside Su Chen.

With black hair and bright eyes, a powerful build, and a rather handsome face, one could still vaguely see a resemblance to the silver-armored woman in his features—if not her brother, then her younger brother.

He had run into a noble.

Su Chen didn't want to get involved in this, and he was worried about offending the nobles, which would bring trouble to his peaceful and leisurely life in the deep palace. He cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, this black-haired man followed Su Chen all the way to the library.

"Phew."

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

"I don't know why my sister is cultivating feelings with His Majesty and making me tag along."

"This is actually a nice place, birds singing and flowers fragrant... wait, what kind of flower is this... My god, isn't this the Northern County Star-Lost Grass? You actually managed to grow it."

This black-haired man was clearly from a military background and quite outgoing. Seeing the Star-Lost Grass, he rubbed his hands together, seemingly intending to pluck it and take it away.

"Which descendant of the Northern Garrison Marshal are you?"

Su Chen looked at the man.

The plants in his courtyard were all rare and exotic, primarily characterized by their scarcity. Clearly, this person spoke with a Northern accent, and his sister was able to flirt with the young emperor; there must be a First-Rank practitioner in their clan.

This young emperor was being suffocated by the Purple-Robed First Supervisor.

He desperately needed a First-Rank practitioner.

Otherwise.

He would always just be the Seventh Prince who luckily obtained the throne, not His Majesty the Emperor.

"The Northern Garrison Marshal is my grandfather."

"In the third generation, there's only my sister and me."

"My name is Chu Wu. What's yours? That outfit of yours... you wouldn't happen to be a eunuch, would you..."

Chu Wu looked at the black eunuch's uniform on Su Chen, only then waking up as if from a dream, looking at him with a pitying expression that someone so handsome was no longer a man.

Su Chen didn't say much.

He fetched a brocade box, dug up the Star-Lost Grass, and placed it inside, wanting only to send this noble away quickly.

"Thanks."

"Su Chen, right?"

"I'll count you as a friend."

Chu Wu glanced at the palace-walking token hanging from Su Chen's waist and patted Su Chen on the shoulder.

This was a peak Fourth-Rank practitioner of both body and qi.

A martial arts prodigy.

Except for Zhang Gui, this was the first time Su Chen had seen a second martial arts prodigy who cultivated both body and qi.

"Chu Wu, you're running around the palace again."

A reprimand rang out.

A woman wearing silver armor, quite heroic and slightly slender, her height not losing to any man, burst in.

That rockery and stone forest was too close to the library.

"Sister, I saw a handsome man, I was thinking of kidnapping him for you..."

As Chu Wu spoke.

Instantly, Chu Feng saw Su Chen, and her eyes lit up.

Skin like white jade, eyes like stars, a head of long black hair—even the black eunuch's uniform couldn't hide the handsomeness of the man before her. Even the most beautiful woman would be eclipsed in his presence.

"What a handsome young man."

Chu Feng smoothed her hair.

Beside her, Chu Wu's eyes widened. It was the first time he had seen his sister, who could kill a Northern bear demon with a single axe, display such a girlish demeanor.

"Sister, he's a eunuch."

Instantly.

The atmosphere froze.

Chu Feng's hand, which was smoothing her hair, stiffened.

"Sigh."

"Trouble."

"Everything is trouble."

Su Chen was extremely helpless; he didn't want to say anything.

In the library courtyard, a massive group of eunuchs, surrounding the Emperor in his bright yellow robes, had already entered the library.

"Presumptuous!"

"Where did this little eunuch come from, daring to..."

The lead eunuch, merely a Blue-Robed Manager, saw that Su Chen was only a black-robed eunuch and immediately walked over to rebuke him, wanting to slap to death the boy who dared to catch the eye of the woman the Emperor was interested in.

His robes billowed, his Fourth-Rank Qi-Bursting Realm cultivation fully revealed, with no intention of hiding it.

"Grandpa, this is the library."

"He is the black-robed eunuch in the library..."

Behind him, a eunuch suddenly became anxious.

Although this person only wore a black eunuch's uniform, he was unique in the entire deep palace. Even if he couldn't cultivate, he wasn't someone anyone could insult in the slightest.

The day before yesterday, a manager eunuch from another area had been thrown into the water dungeon by the managers of the Martial Bureau just for laughing and mocking the fact that a "useless person" lived in the library.

In this inner palace, except for the Red-Robed First Superintendent, the other three superintendents had all backed the wrong side and followed the new emperor. Only Zhang Gui had been shunned by the new emperor when he welcomed him, but instead, he had gained the appreciation of the Purple-Robed First Supervisor.

Power that shakes the heavens—that is exactly what it was.

"He is the one in the library..."

"This is the library?"

"Damn it! Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

The voice of this Blue-Robed Manager turned shrill, and he retreated several steps, scared out of his wits.

Seeing this.

Even though he was the Emperor, intending to temper his composure, a flash of gloom crossed his eyes.

The new emperor had ascended the throne, but there was no coronation ceremony.

What kind of emperor was he?

He couldn't even change the name of the dynasty.

At this moment, he was like a puppet on the throne. The loyal eunuchs under him were only at the Blue-Robed level, and they didn't even dare to deal with a useless person in the library who couldn't cultivate.

"Su Chen, long time no see."

"I vaguely remember."

"The last time we met, you were also like this: black robes, a face like jade. It's a pity you're just a eunuch."

The new emperor said with a smile.

Su Chen stood to the side with his hands hanging down, silent.

No one knew.

He wasn't actually a eunuch.

Moreover, he hoped these people would leave quickly; otherwise, people would die.

The fragrances of these exotic flowers and herbs, when layered together, were extremely poisonous.

Fortunately.

The new emperor and the female general didn't stay long and soon left the library. Su Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the new emperor was young after all; as he left, he gave Su Chen a cold, lingering stare.

Clearly, he had marked Su Chen in his heart.

"That Seventh Prince—no, the new emperor—really has no imperial stature, doesn't he?"

On the ninth floor of the pavilion, a figure in red, a handsome man with a smile in his eyes, a green grass tassel hanging from his waist, and holding a bottle of white scholar's wine, looked at Su Chen with a smile.

It was none other than the powerful and arrogant Zhang Gui.

At this moment, his aura was becoming increasingly unfathomable. Perhaps he hadn't broken through to the Second Rank yet, but as a martial arts prodigy with massive amounts of money at his disposal, his "Qi" path must have reached the Third Rank.

With money and power, the only thing Zhang Gui lacked was time.

He could truly become the Purple-Robed First Supervisor!