Chapter 13: In the Days That Followed, Wei Tong Finally Returned to Normal, Though His Worry for Wei Ning Remained, Only Buried Deeper

The days seemed to pass in perfect normalcy, but before long, something changed again.

Wei Tong surveyed his brand-new surroundings. The room was small, with no one else in it. After tidying up, he went out to have a look at the place he was now responsible for.

Yesterday, just after Wei Tong finished his shift, the chief eunuch of the Buku Training Ground had sent someone to summon him. Chen Erbin, the head eunuch there, was fifty-four this year. He had originally requested the post himself simply to see out his years in comfort and rarely made appearances. Even when Wei Tong and Wenxi had been transferred there without prior notice to serve as second-class eunuchs, he had never said a word about it.

Wei Tong had been quite surprised when summoned. But no surprise compared to what he felt after Chen Erbin finished speaking.

“You mean… this servant is to return to Qingning Palace tomorrow?” Wei Tong’s first thought was that Liu Cheng knew nothing of this. In the beginning, Liu Cheng had indeed focused most of his attention on Qingning Palace, but with him watching, it was more than enough; the others had no way of getting close to the Emperor anyway.

Planting people in other inconspicuous spots worked far better. And ever since Wei Ning had been taken away, Wei Tong had seemed a good deal more obedient. The intelligence he passed along couldn’t be verified, but the picture of the Emperor it painted grew more and more concrete, and some of it, pieced together, had proven quite useful.

Liu Cheng’s trust in Wei Tong had grown a few notches. After Wei Tong’s last report, the contact had relayed Liu Cheng’s regards and even rewarded him with fifty taels of silver. Fifty taels didn’t look like much, but for Wei Tong now it exceeded all his savings.

Wei Tong had known his reports would lead to such results, but to keep Liu Cheng’s trust, he had had no choice.

Today’s order, however, left him completely baffled.

Chen Erbin merely smiled. “Since His Excellency has taken a liking to you, we can’t let His Excellency down.” Then he sent Wei Tong on his way.

Wei Tong was puzzled, and quietly grew wary besides. Liu Cheng never left loose ends in his work, yet Wei Tong had been transferred to Qingning Palace so abruptly; he couldn’t rule out being investigated. And besides… who exactly had him transferred?

Even if Kangxi liked using him, this little eunuch, as a sparring partner, he couldn’t truly be paying him any particular attention. So… who was it?

It was Liang Jiugong.

Qingning Palace had two studies: the outer study, which Kangxi used regularly, and the small study, which he rarely visited. The small study usually held all manner of books, and Kangxi seldom went there. Only two junior inner attendants were assigned to it. When one of them had fallen ill with typhoid a while back, Liang Jiugong had left the position vacant for a time; the post wasn’t important, but neither could it be filled carelessly.

But after noticing Kangxi’s excessive attention toward Wei Tong, he had broached the matter tentatively in front of Kangxi. Kangxi gave his bland approval with no particular show. But having served Kangxi all these years, Liang Jiugong knew that this was Kangxi’s way of being pleased.

After sending someone to notify that old codger at the Buku Training Ground, Liang Jiugong remarked to Gu Wenxing with a tsk of wonder, “To think the Emperor would take notice of an inconspicuous little eunuch like Wei Tong. This servant finds it truly remarkable.”

Gu Wenxing gave him a flat look. “If His Majesty values him, shouldn’t you be only too glad to see him out of Qingning Palace sooner? Yet here you are, eagerly pulling the man in yourself.”

Liang Jiugong shook his head in disagreement. “Ah, but that’s where you don’t understand. When I raised it with His Majesty today, he agreed without asking a single question. How could I fail to see that His Majesty was pleased? Since I proposed it myself, at least I’ll leave some impression in His Majesty’s mind. As for that boy… it all rests on how he performs once he’s inside. Heh heh.”

Returning to Qingning Palace once more, Wei Tong felt a little apologetic toward Wenxi, but Wenxi didn’t mind. “Qingning Palace looks fine on the surface, but there’s too much scheming there. It’s more pleasant here. Just watch yourself.” Wenxi said it gently, no trace of resentment in his eyes.

“I know.”

When Liu Cheng learned of it, he only cursed Liang Jiugong a few times under his breath. If others didn’t know who was behind it, how could Liu Cheng not? Nothing entered Qingning Palace without passing Gu Wenxing’s approval.

If not for Wei Tong’s particular value, Liu Cheng would never have spared attention for such a trivial matter. Things had finally reached the point where Wei Tong had close contact with Kangxi and the reports flowed in steadily; Kangxi’s moods and habits were all worth studying. And now Liang Jiugong had gone and wedged himself straight into the middle of it. Liu Cheng was so furious he smashed a cup.

Liu Cheng’s anger had nothing to do with Wei Tong himself. Weighing the situation, Wei Tong could only settle his heart and work diligently for now. The small study offered little actual work. For all its many shelves, most of the books were aired and maintained by dedicated hands. Wei Tong was responsible only for the daily cleaning; keeping watch over the place counted as idleness. Zhao He, who worked alongside him, spoke little but was a diligent worker, quick and efficient, and Wei Tong was just as quiet, so the two grew familiar with each other quickly.

Ever since Wei Tong had told Xuan a while back that he wanted to go out and see the world, Xuan had been somewhat quiet, and remained so through several meetings. Today Wei Tong finally couldn’t hold back and asked, afraid something had gone wrong.

Xuan paused, then said, “Do you long that much for the sights of the world?”

Wei Tong hesitated a moment before answering. “It’s like a bird. Before it has ever soared into the blue sky, it has no idea how vast the heavens are. But once it has flown, it will never willingly be caged again.”

“I’m the same.”

“Xuan, when you have the time, you really should travel. Our dynasty’s territory is vast; the scenery of north and south differs, and the people of each region keep their own customs. It’s fascinating, truly. Even the Emperor who sits upon all this territory, if he never once left the palace to see it, that too would be a regret.”

“Besides, it’s only a wish. Whether it can come true is still an open question. Why do you keep dwelling on it?” By the end, Wei Tong couldn’t help laughing at himself. He really hadn’t imagined Xuan would agonize over this.

“You think His Majesty should go out more?” Xuan’s tone was a little odd as he said this, as if holding something back. Wei Tong took it as lingering awkwardness over the earlier matter and thought nothing of it.

“Of course. However much information from every corner of the realm flows into the Emperor’s ears, he is still a man, and men have lapses and desires. Can the reports delivered to the capital be guaranteed absolutely true? But as Emperor, the cost of traveling is simply too great. It’s genuinely hard to manage.”

“True, as Emperor he holds all under heaven, the power of life and death in his hands. That isn’t without its pleasures, but the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. There is no free lunch in this world. If the Emperor holds the most exalted position under heaven, then the country is the price he must shoulder.” By the end Wei Tong was losing interest, half-feeling like he was grumbling to Xuan, so he stopped.

“You have words left unsaid.” Xuan sensed the pause and spoke quietly.

“I feel I’ve said too much that I shouldn’t have. Speaking out of turn, really.” Wei Tong rubbed the space between his brows. His mind hadn’t been at ease lately, and entering the dreamscape always relaxed him a little. He wasn’t truly trying to criticize anything; it was just that in an age of imperial power, saying such things carried a helpless sort of frustration.

“Here of all places, and you still fret over speaking out of turn. You really are… a freak of nature.” Xuan pondered for a long while before finally landing on a term to describe Wei Tong. It was a term Wei Tong himself had taught him, and Xuan had thoroughly bent its original meaning of a rare and splendid flower into something else entirely.

“A man simply can’t indulge himself too much, or trouble finds him.” Wei Tong didn’t think caution was a bad thing. If not for his caution, would he have survived this long? Only… ahem, true, worrying about that inside the dreamscape was overthinking. In here, the two of them were strangers who had simply happened to meet.

Even so, Wei Tong felt he had said too much. Discussing sensitive matters of imperial power with a man of ancient times was pure self-sabotage.

“Don’t just pick on me. I was the one asking you questions in the first place. Is that really the only reason you’ve been so down?” Wei Tong didn’t quite believe it. Xuan was no straightforward man; Wei Tong always felt that making an enemy of him meant walking straight into his traps.

“No. It’s just that His Majesty is investigating corruption, yet those below him sing a different tune at every turn, while the common folk suffer. It’s hateful, truly.” Xuan rarely spoke so directly about anything; the two of them usually kept certain things back from each other. But the moment Wei Tong heard this, he replied before he could think twice, “Those below him? You mean Oboi, don’t you?”

“Oh? You’re refreshingly blunt, Wei.” Xuan chuckled softly.

Wei Tong knew Xuan meant his calling Oboi by bare name. He had simply grown used to saying it in his head; sometimes he didn’t even notice. “There’s not much to be done about it. Oboi’s power outweighs His Majesty’s right now. The Emperor has no choice but to endure.”

“The way you put it… you sound awfully confident in His Majesty.” Xuan seemed to shake his head, laughter thick in his voice. Feeling Xuan’s mood lift, Wei Tong smiled too, with a lightness he hadn’t felt in a long while.

“Naturally. All these trials he faces now are nothing more than whetstones along the road.”

Kangxi. Even if he could not be called a sovereign for the ages, even with both merits and faults across sixty years on the throne, nothing could ever dim the extraordinary brilliance this ruler left upon history.