Whether being a eunuch is good or bad, Li Qing didn't care what others thought. For him, it worked out just fine.
If he hadn't become a eunuch, he never would've learned the Seven Forms of Flowing Water technique.
If he hadn't become a eunuch, he probably wouldn't have lived peacefully to the age of twenty-eight.
Li Qing had a hundred lifetimes to live. Spending two or three of them as a eunuch was worth it. If anything, it might even enhance his future sexual enjoyment.
Only after you've lost something do you learn to truly value it.
A few days later.
A special little visitor came to the Cold Palace: the eight-year-old Prince Wu.
And Prince Wu didn't come alone. With him was a six-year-old boy named Wei Nu, his personal attendant.
Wei Nu was rumored to be the son of a stablehand. Thanks to his outstanding martial talent, he'd been chosen to serve directly at Prince Wu's side.
Though only six, Wei Nu had already opened a meridian and reached the level of a third-tier fighter.
"Mother! I want to see my mother!" the prince shouted as soon as he entered the palace.
"Oh, my little ancestor! What brings you here?" Wang Li quickly set down his lunchbox and jogged over to greet the prince.
It was lunchtime at the Cold Palace.
"I want to see my mother. Take me to her!" The young prince may have been small, but he already spoke with the air of an emperor.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you right away." Wang Li led the way, then asked over his shoulder, "Does Consort Lu know you're here?"
"Hmph. I'm here to see my mother. Why should I report to outsiders?"
Wang Li froze for a moment, alarmed.
"Your Highness…"
"Let the prince in," said Li Qing as he stepped out of the Bing-Hai wing, carrying a lunch tray. "Perfect timing. He and Consort Qi can have lunch together."
Wang Li gave a quick nod and backed off, letting Li Qing take over.
Prince Wu, full name Qian Wu, was the emperor's eldest son. Eight years ago, Consort Qi had given birth to him right here in the Cold Palace. Not long after, Consort Lu had taken him away and raised him herself.
Although the Grand Empress Dowager had passed away, her maternal clan, the Lu clan, had always been her strongest support. The Lu clan's roots ran deep throughout the court, and it was thanks to their power that the Empress Dowager had been able to sideline Emperor Taikang in the first place. That was why Consort Lu remained the most powerful woman in the emperor's harem.
Since Consort Lu had never been able to bear children of her own, she had raised Qian Wu as if he were her own son.
Over the past couple of years, as he grew older, Prince Wu had gradually learned that his biological mother, Consort Qi, had been banished to the Cold Palace. He had sneaked over to see her twice before.
Both times, he had barely managed a quick greeting before being carried away by the palace maids and eunuchs who had arrived in a panic.
This time was surely another secret visit.
Inside the Bing-Hai wing, Consort Qi sat upright and tense. When she heard her son's voice, her expression turned even more solemn.
"Mother, I missed you so much," Prince Wu cried as soon as he entered the room, throwing himself into her arms.
Consort Qi showed no sign of affection. She pushed him away with a stern face. "You are already a titled prince of the realm. You should respect the rules of the imperial family. This is not a place you ought to visit."
"But Mother—"
"I have committed a crime, so I must stay here. Little Li!"
"Yes, my lady," Li Qing stepped forward at once.
"Take Prince Wu away. Hand him to the palace eunuchs and have them discipline him properly," Consort Qi said, forcing back her tears.
Li Qing moved in to pick up Prince Wu, but Wei Nu darted ahead of him and blocked the way, shouting, "No one is allowed to touch Prince Wu! Whoever tries, I'll kill!"
Wei Nu's face was twisted with fierce determination.
Li Qing was stunned for a moment.
He'd heard of Wei Nu before: only six years old, but a martial arts prodigy. Like Li Qing, he was already a third-rate fighter.
Comparing himself to this kid was downright depressing.
What a remarkable boy.
And honestly, if it came to a fight, Li Qing wasn't sure he could beat this six-year-old.
"Insolence!"
Seeing this, Consort Qi slammed her hand on the table and shouted in anger, "Take him away!"
Consort Qi was, after all, Prince Wu's birth mother. That single command of hers was enough to completely shut Wei Nu down.
Li Qing quickly scooped up Prince Wu and carried him out of the Bing-Hai wing.
He didn't stop until they reached the side gate of the Cold Palace. Wei Nu followed close behind, glaring at Li Qing like he was ready to fight.
Prince Wu gave Wei Nu a quick wave, then turned to Li Qing. "I know my mother still cares about me deep down. And from what I saw today, her food is... passable, I guess. Take good care of her. If you do, I won't forget it."
"I'm honored, Your Highness. Looking after Consort Qi is just part of my duty," replied Li Qing, bowing quickly and respectfully.
Just then, a group of eunuchs and palace maids came running up in a panic. When they saw Prince Wu hadn't gone inside yet, they let out a breath of relief and hurried him away.
As Li Qing watched the small figures of Prince Wu and Wei Nu walk off into the distance, a thought stirred in his heart.
If Prince Wu ever ascends the throne, he's sure to be a powerful ruler. Someone no one in the harem could ever control. And that Wei Nu... he might just become a great general who defends the empire.
But then again...
Even a mighty emperor or brilliant general only shines for a single lifetime.
Li Qing had a hundred lives to live. In the end, he was the real winner. Who's to say, after they're both long gone, he won't be sitting on their tombstones playing the erhu for fun?
Even emperors are just mortals.
Li Qing's goal was immortality. And he had a hundred lifetimes to chase it.
"Huh. The erhu… I don't actually know how to play that yet. I should learn sometime."
"There's that piece, Lone Star's Solitary Lament… I have to master that one."
...
Time passed, and soon it was evening again.
Dinner time at the Cold Palace had arrived once more.
Being a eunuch in the Cold Palace was, honestly, mind-numbingly boring.
Take a day in Li Qing's life: wake up, empty chamber pots, play cards, deliver food, play more cards, empty more chamber pots, deliver more food, train, sleep.
Day in, day out. That's how it had been these past few years.
Inside the duty room.
"Little Li, it's your turn to bring dinner to Consort Li tonight. Be careful. Her temper's been getting stranger lately," Wang Li warned.
"Yes, Lord Li," chimed in a young eunuch named Gong Yue, still visibly shaken. "I brought her lunch today, and she glared at me so hard I thought my heart was gonna split in two."
Gong Yue was a new recruit, only sixteen years old.
"I'll be careful," Li Qing nodded.
Consort Li had been locked inside the Cold Palace's Iron Wing for five years now.
There were twelve eunuchs assigned to the Cold Palace, and they took turns bringing her meals. Tonight was Li Qing's turn.
In all that time, Consort Li hadn't spoken a single word. Not that she could. Her tongue had been cut out.
Li Qing had asked Consort Qi about her once. Consort Qi simply said she wasn't close to her, but did mention that Consort Li had once been even more favored by Emperor Taikang than she had.
No official orders had ever come down about her fate. She was just kept there, locked away, while the elite eunuchs of the Martial Supervision Bureau remained stationed outside the palace and never withdrawn.
For someone once holding the rank of Imperial Consort, now silenced and chained in an iron room for five whole years... her background had to be anything but ordinary.
Carrying the dinner pail, Li Qing followed routine. He stopped at the door and called out, "Sending greetings to Consort Li." Only then did he push the door open and step inside.
Inside the Dingyou Iron Wing, everything was as it had always been. Consort Li lay on the bed, bound by four chains made of blacksteel.
The chains weren't completely restrictive; she was still able to manage basic needs on her own.
The moment Li Qing entered, her eyes snapped toward him, sharp as blades.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice that was neither male nor female pierced straight into his mind. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard.
"You really are a poor talent, little eunuch. I see you've been practicing an advanced internal technique, yet after five years, you've only managed to open a single meridian and become third-rate. I possess a technique that can cleanse your bones and reshape your foundation. Interested?"
What the hell?! Who was that?
The sudden voice bursting into his mind nearly made Li Qing drop the food bucket. He whipped his head around, but the room was empty except for him and Consort Li.
Was it her?
But Consort Li's tongue had been cut out at the root. She couldn't possibly have spoke—
"Stop looking around, little eunuch. I'm speaking to you through voice Transmission." Consort Li's gaze locked onto him, unblinking.
Voice Transmission!
Once he realized where the voice was coming from, Li Qing relaxed. At least it wasn't a ghost or demon.
Pretending he hadn't heard a thing, he calmly held out the serving spoon. "Your Highness, the food is getting cold. You should eat."