Chapter 7

Chen Fei gestured for all the eunuchs and palace maids to leave.

Inside the inner court, only Li Gonggong and Chen Fei remained.

Chen Fei stretched her perfect, delicate body and slowly approached Li Gonggong, saying, "We need to replenish the staff in the palace. We can't keep relying on temporary help from the prison yard like we did during last night's housewarming banquet."

"I understand, this is just the first batch. I will select more obedient and well-behaved young eunuchs to join us," Li Gonggong replied.

"That's good."

Chen Fei put the matter aside and then suddenly frowned, saying, "By the way, the Empress is hosting a banquet tonight and has invited me. Do you have anything to say about it?"

Li Gonggong said, "I am already aware of this. Your Majesty was suddenly bestowed the title of Consort, and as the Empress of the harem, she naturally feels uncomfortable. However, your family is the Xuanwei Marquis, one of the twelve hereditary Marquises who protect the nation. They command the Dragon Guard, and even if she feels uncomfortable, she has to endure it."

The entire Great Ming has twelve hereditary Marquises, whose titles are passed down through generations!

They have immense influence in the military.

Not to mention the Xuanwei Marquis, Chen Yinglong, who is known as the First Marquis!

He commands the most elite Dragon Guard, with a force of one hundred thousand elite soldiers responsible for the safety of the capital. Others would be eager to form alliances with him, how could they dare to offend him?

"Hmm, but it's easy to avoid open attacks, but hard to guard against hidden arrows. We can't be too careless. I'll need your help, Li Gonggong, to be vigilant in secret."

Chen Fei felt the same way and relaxed her mind.

Li Gonggong bowed and said, "Please rest assured, this is my duty."

He did not mention the conflict in the prison yard today.

However, he had his own plans and decided to keep a closer eye on the Kunning Palace.

On the other side.

Yang Fan and the others waited outside the hall. During the wait, he asked about the blood change again.

Xiao Lianzi said, "The blood change refers to a critical transformation after one's qi and blood cultivation reaches perfection. It is said that one can gain the strength of an ox, making one a formidable soldier in the military!"

"What about me?"

Yang Fan was surprised, not expecting the blood change to be so powerful.

Xiao Lianzi couldn't help but laugh, "Xiao Fanzi, although you have exceptional talent and have already mastered qi and blood, the blood change is not that simple. You need to perfect your qi and blood first."

"How do I know when I have perfected it?"

Xiao Lianzi thought for a moment, "When your qi and blood overflow and your eyes emit a faint light, that's perfection! Or you can think of it this way: when you feel your temples bulge, you have achieved it."

"I see."

Yang Fan felt more confident.

At least, according to what he knew now, he still had a long way to go.

However, having mastered qi and blood early, his cultivation efficiency was destined to surpass that of ordinary people.

As they spoke, Xiao Lianzi also shared some basic martial arts knowledge with Yang Fan, Xiao Zhuzi, and Xiao Lingzi.

The four of them were selected together, but they wouldn't always be the only ones.

More people would definitely join them in the future.

Xiao Lianzi had already planned to form the four of them into a cohesive unit, so they could have a foothold in the Changqing Palace.

He was confident he could control Xiao Zhuzi and Xiao Lingzi.

But when it came to Yang Fan, he found him hard to read, always seeming naive on the surface but shrewd inside.

Soon, Li Gonggong came out and stopped in front of Yang Fan.

"Xiao Fanzi, follow me."

Yang Fan was puzzled but didn't ask, and followed directly.

Li Gonggong walked in front of the Changqing Palace and said, "Do you know why I called you?"

"I await your instructions, Sir."

Yang Fan lowered his head, looking obedient.

"You're a clever one," Li Gonggong glanced at him and smiled, "But that's good. Being brave and daring is good, but it's easy to be used as a pawn."

"Thank you for your guidance, Sir."

"Don't flatter me. There's something I need you to do tonight."

Li Gonggong then explained the task.

"What, bind, bind someone?"

Yang Fan was stunned.

Li Gonggong was too ruthless!

He was actually asking him to follow Chen Fei to the Kunning Palace tonight and secretly kidnap the eunuch he had knocked out in the morning when no one was paying attention.

Wasn't this asking for trouble?

Kidnapping someone from the Kunning Palace was no easy task. Not only did he need to subdue the target quietly, but he also had to figure out how to transport the person out without being noticed.

"I believe you can do it."

Li Gonggong patted Yang Fan's shoulder with a smile and walked away.

You believe in me, but I don't believe in myself!

Yang Fan looked helpless and had no choice but to accept the task. When he returned to the hall, the other three looked at him with envy, thinking he had received some favor from Li Gonggong.

Only Xiao Lianzi noticed something was off and asked, "Xiao Fanzi, your expression seems a bit off?"

Yang Fan pretended nothing was wrong and said, "Nothing, Li Gonggong just reminded me not to be too eager in cultivation and to patiently refine my qi and blood."

He brushed it off with a few words but began to plan his next move in his mind.

Refusal was not an option.

How to accomplish the task beautifully became what he needed to consider.

In the afternoon, he spent some time in the Changqing Palace and then secretly returned to the small courtyard to practice the Three Mighty Ox Techniques to strengthen his qi and blood.

One must be strong to forge iron, and any improvement now would be beneficial.

Sure enough.

He found that after mastering qi and blood, his cultivation speed improved rapidly.

He felt himself improving every moment.

The heat in his body surged, shaking his bones, muscles, and skin.

He felt like he had truly become a mighty ox, with every movement carrying the brute force of an ox, and the three techniques seemed to be imprinted in his bones.

If Li Gonggong saw him, he would be surprised.

Because Yang Fan's current performance clearly showed that he had truly mastered the techniques. If he continued like this, he might be able to refine his strength thoroughly in a short time.

He had a chance to undergo the blood change.

As the sky darkened, he stopped, quickly changed his clothes, ate something in the servants' quarters of the Changqing Palace, and headed straight for the Changqing Palace.

At this time, Consort Chen's entourage was also preparing.

Xiao Lianzi, Xiao Zhuzi, and Xiao Lingzi all followed, along with the accompanying palace maids, as they prepared to head to the Kunning Palace.

Li Gonggong was by Consort Chen's side and nodded at Yang Fan when he arrived on time.

Yang Fan quickly joined the group and stood next to Xiao Lianzi.

"Where were you this afternoon? Why are you so late?"

"I went to the toilet and got delayed."

Yang Fan brushed it off, ignoring the suspicion in Xiao Lianzi's eyes.

The group slowly moved forward and finally arrived at the Kunning Palace.

As the Empress's residence, the palace was clearly more luxurious than the Changqing Palace.

There were many palace maids and eunuchs, all strictly adhering to their roles, showing the strict discipline and high standards of the palace.

Yang Fan and Xiao Lianzi exchanged a glance.

After all, they had just beaten up the eunuchs of the Kunning Palace at noon, and coming here at night made them feel uneasy.

"Greetings, Empress."

Inside the palace, Consort Chen was the first to bow.

The Empress was well-preserved, looking no more than thirty, with outstanding beauty and a regal demeanor, giving the impression of a queen.

It was hard to imagine that she had two sons, the Crown Prince Zhu Zhaoting and the Thirteenth Prince Zhu Zhaolin, with the Crown Prince Zhu Zhaoting already twenty-four and beginning to participate in state affairs.

"Sister, please rise. We are sisters, no need for such formality!"

The Empress stood up and walked over, holding Consort Chen's arm and pulling her to a seat, her face full of warmth and friendliness.

The palace maids took care of the arrangements, and the young eunuchs were sent outside.

Yang Fan saw his target.

Xiao Linzi.

The eunuch he had knocked out with his head in the morning.

Xiao Linzi seemed to sense something and looked over, first in surprise, then with a hostile expression, touching the purple bruise on his forehead, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Damn, you little brats actually dare to show up at the Kunning Palace again!"

Xiao Linzi lowered his voice, his face twisted with malice.

"Why not? Is the Kunning Palace your place? What a joke! You're just a small eunuch like us, don't act so high and mighty! If you have the guts, try to drive us out!"

Yang Fan, with a plan in mind, spoke without hesitation.

"You, you!"

Xiao Linzi didn't expect Yang Fan to be so arrogant and was speechless.

"What, what! If you have something to say, say it! If you have something to complain about, complain! If you have nothing to say, then scram! A defeated opponent, don't be a nuisance here!"

Yang Fan pressed his advantage, making Xiao Linzi's eyes turn green with anger. If there were no one around, he would have attacked immediately.

Xiao Lianzi and the others were completely shocked, their backs drenched in cold sweat.

They didn't know what had gotten into Xiao Fanzi. He had only won by luck at noon, and now he was being so arrogant. Wasn't he afraid of being targeted by the other side?

The palace was not as peaceful as it seemed.

Unless you could eliminate your opponent completely, you shouldn't push them too far.

This was an unspoken rule.

But Yang Fan had clearly broken it.

"You'll regret this!"

Xiao Linzi glared at Yang Fan with hatred and turned to leave.